


Rebirth

by StardustMuse



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Soldiers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, POV First Person, POV Multiple, Pre-Naruto Canon Era, Reincarnation, Self-Insert, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 99,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25747969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustMuse/pseuds/StardustMuse
Summary: What if two best friends were reincarnated into a world together? Chaos ensues as they try to figure out their own place in this new world, make friends, and possibly change the timeline along the way.
Relationships: Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Original Female Character & Namikaze Minato, Original Female Character & Uzumaki Kushina, Original Female Characters & Hatake Kakashi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 72





	1. Prologue: Traveler's Song

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Catch Your Breath](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1893351) by [Liangnui](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liangnui/pseuds/Liangnui). 
  * Inspired by [Rewind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21122543) by [A_Lysdove63](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Lysdove63/pseuds/A_Lysdove63). 
  * Inspired by [A Woman's Honour; A Kunoichi's Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9229469) by [darkseraphina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkseraphina/pseuds/darkseraphina). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ANBU Captain Otter has seen a lot of things, but nothing quite like this.

ANBU Captain Otter

I slipped silently and unseen across the pitted ground. Some long ago battle had made the terrain difficult, but my skills bypassed that problem rather easily. I paused, sniffing. Where was it? Another elusive whiff, and I followed. A partially destroyed village loomed, the destruction caused by yet another battle. Given that the weather hadn't had time erode anything, this village had been destroyed recently. I paused in the outskirts, still sniffing, and heard a faint noise. A cry sounded, then another. With it came the scent, much more clearly this time. So close, but with the wind constantly changing direction, where?

I wandered a bit, ducking under fallen support beams, climbing over rubble and glass. Scorch marks and other disfigurements showed just how difficult of a battle it had been. No bodies, so there might have been a few survivors that burned or buried the others. Gradually, the scent grew stronger and stronger. Finally, underneath two more broken beams, I found what I had been looking for. A dark shape on the ground, moving, but barely. A brief flash of moonlight from the darting clouds above illuminated the shape more. Creeping closer, I confirmed what I had seen with the moonlight. A child, no, an infant, perhaps a few months old, was shivering on the ground. The swaddling around it was full of holes...no, that wasn't quite it. Charred edges, corners speckled with holes. The blanket had probably been pulled as a scrap, just something to keep the infant from freezing. Or at least, it would have, if the swaddling hadn't been loose.

I reached out, hoping that my arm guards wouldn't be too hard of a cushion, and took the infant from the ground, rewrapping the swaddling. That allowed me to figure out the gender of the infant, a baby girl. The crying didn't stop, but nor did it get any louder. The shivering lessened as I held the infant close, out of the wind. Another flash of moonlight showed the infant's face. Her eyes were shut as she cried, and interesting marks on her cheeks, swirl like. I had never seen birthmarks, or clan marks like that before. Interesting. I gently touched the infant's nose, and her eyes shot open in surprise. The crying stopped, and we regarded each other. Even with infrequent flashes of moonlight, I could see her eyes were different colors. That, despite all the missions I had been on, I hadn't seen before.Those heterochromic eyes blinked. She seemed a bit calmer now, that someone was holding her.

I wondered how hungry she was, and how long it had been since she had been left here. Milk wasn't part of our mission gear, nor were other baby supplies. We could give her to someone in a town on our way back. That way, she'd be cared for. It was time to call in my team, to let them know about the change in plans. I stood, whistled, then waited patiently for the rest of my team to catch up. While I waited, I rocked the baby girl, and she slowly fell asleep. Three other shadows appeared, the slowly disappearing clouds revealing porcelain masks like the one I wore.

"Otter, what is that?" Boar asked. I shrugged.

"An abandoned infant. We can at least drop her off at a town so that she's cared for. Apart from her, the area's clear."

"Taicho..." Crane said, a warning note in his voice. I frowned.

"What is it?"

"That's not any ordinary infant. She's got...foreign chakra. I don't know how to explain it exactly."

"Try."

"This...foreign chakra is dense, powerful. And...red, and sort of...bubbling. Not blue or green, like you normally see chakra."

"But what does that mean?" Dog asked. I thought rapidly. I knew what bubbling red chakra meant, though at the moment, my team didn't. As far as I knew, they'd never faced it. I'd fill them in later.

"It means we can't leave her in a village. We're taking her home with us, and talking to the Hokage,” I decided. Despite knowing, I didn't feel scared. The infant would need watching, but at the same time, she was very, very young. She could be trained, so she didn't hurt people accidentally. Maybe the Hokage would have ideas.

"Taicho? Is something wrong?" Crane asked.

"No. It's just a serious matter. I'll fill you in on the way."

"Alright. Now let's get the little one to safety," Boar said. With that, we disappeared back into the night, the infant being whisked away to her new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys. I don't know where all I'm going to go with my ideas quite yet, but I am open to constructive feedback, and artwork. There will be romance, far in the future. The rating is mature because of all the violence in the Naruto universe in general. I do not own any Naruto characters. Thank you very much for reading!
> 
> 01.20.2021: Sorry for the long delays in posting new chapters. I highly encourage you to check out my other works if you'd like story ideas from other fandoms. In the meantime, I'm going to start editing the existing chapters. Again, thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 1: Turning Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinobu doesn't like people much. Sadly, people don't like her much either.

Katsuki Shinobu

I woke early, as usual. It was something I had sort of fallen into the habit of. Mornings, before anyone else woke up, were peaceful. Beautiful sunrises, dyeing the skies with colors that could change so quickly. Nighttime animals going to sleep, but daytime animals waking up, with soft noises. But most important, it was quiet. No one on the streets, not really anyone on the roofs. No one awake inside either. Again, a relief. I settled back to watch the sunrise. Today's sunrise made the dark sky slowly lighten to a bluish gray, then streaks of pink and orange shot through the ever lightening sky. Finally, the sun itself came up, deep orange at first, before fading into the usual cheerful yellow as it climbed higher. I sighed, got dressed, and grabbed my small bag as various shuffles, yells, and thumps signaled everyone else waking up.

Breakfast was the usual affair. I sat in my corner, not meeting anyone's eyes, and not saying anything. I could still sense so many eyes on me. A familiar feeling, but I hated it. I checked briefly through my long bangs. Caretakers kept a wary eye on me, even though they were trying not to be noticed. Some of the kids laughed and jeered, whispering about me.

"Ghost!"

"Nah, freak."

"But she always disappears."

"Eh. Still a freak. Ever seen her face?"

"Once. She's got these super weird marks, and that's not all." I flinched, looking down at my nearly empty plate. The boy's voice had lowered, so I couldn't hear him without chakra. But I knew what they were saying. It was the same thing they always said. As soon as I finished eating, I left.

Of course, that meant going into the now busy streets. Those, were even louder than the frequent shrieks of the others playing around the orphanage. And so, so many more eyes. I tried to be as stealthy as I could. I think...I think I was getting better. I knew how to move silently, darting in and out of the various people and buildings, while using all the shadows, and various other cover to my advantage. Today, there weren't quite so many eyes on me.

I slowed as I neared a calligraphy shop. I couldn't buy anything, but the window displays, with the delicate paper, neatly stacked bottles of ink, and brush sets, were pretty. My other favorite stores to admire, the bookstore, and the origami shop were in the area too. I walked past those stores as well, admiring the many books, then stopped at the origami shop. New designs had been put out recently for display. Fresh cranes hung delicately above a bouquet of flowers, and other animals. It wasn't strictly origami either, there were trees that stood up with little bits cut out to make leaves, and even a shrine.

"...she is again! Just wandering around! Honestly, doesn't the orphanage try to keep track of her?" I heard the voice just as a civilian and a shinobi walked past, pulling me violently from my window gazing.

"With those weird marks, or those...well, you'd think it would be easy!"

"Yes, but it's her. Everyone knows..." I flinched, and hurried further up the street, and went back to being stealthy. Every time, every single time I went out that happened. I really needed to stop pausing in front of stores, especially since I couldn't buy anything. I hurried on, occasionally checking to see if anyone was following me. I didn't see anyone, and I didn't sense anything, with the exception of a fleeting chakra signature nearby. That though, I had long become used to.

The fleeting chakra signatures I sensed were always close to me, but unlike everyone else, they weren't hostile. Even if I never saw them, they...didn't mean me any harm, I think. Hard to be sure. I sighed, and continued on, finally reaching my destination. Training Ground Three was my favorite place to practice, barely anyone ever came here. Why, I wasn't sure, but it came in useful. Today, it was just as quiet as it usually was.

I started out with stretches, then running around the training ground, with and without chakra enhancements. Then, I approached the three training posts. One had a target attached to it, and I lined myself up.

 **You have your thumb tucked in?** A voice in my head asked. I nodded.

 **Hmm. Go ahead then.** I threw a punch at the target, then another with the other fist. I didn't do it for too long, switching to working on hand seals. Ox, snake, ram. Suiton: Kirigakure. It was my first elemental ninjutsu, and it wasn’t the easiest. Mist started appearing, and I concentrated. The mist slowly became thicker, covering the area just around the training posts. After a minute or so, I couldn't even see the training posts. Another minute, and I let the technique go. I took several breaths, resting. That technique drained a lot of chakra. I hoped I could get better with practice. I frowned slightly, and performed the hand seals again. This time, I didn't dispel the technique, but closed my eyes and maneuvered, solely based on the chakra permeating throughout the mist.

 **Hmm. You might want to try listening, and smelling as well, not just your chakra sense.** I nodded, eyes still closed, but paused. The air smelled like water, and I really couldn't get anything else, not even if I tried to channel chakra toward my nose. But I could hear things. I could hear the birds around, on my right. The small gurgles of the river running through the training ground on my left. With chakra enhancements, I could hear leaves rustling, with the tiny amount of air moving through them. After a little while, I opened my eyes and dismissed the technique. My chakra levels were a lot more depleted, but then, I hadn't held the technique for quite that long before. I still had a long way to go before I could master it.

I rested for a while, sitting on top of one of the posts. My chakra came back relatively quickly, as it always did. Then, I hopped down, and pulled out a kunai before centering myself. Concentrating, I guided my chakra down to my feet, then set off for the nearest tree at a run. Previous slash marks up the trunk showed my attempts to walk up the tree, slowly getting higher. Today, I ran all the way to the top, and settled down on the top branch. I kept my balance with chakra channeled to my hands, but also with my own strength. From up here, I could see most of the village, civilians bustling about, and a few shinobi, at least if they didn't mind being seen.

 **Hmm. That didn't take you long to master at all. I expected more than four days, little one.** I let myself concentrate partially on the voice this time, sort of diving down into my mind. In it, on a large grassy field and some trees, sat a beautiful blue and black cat with two tails, and one yellow, and one green eye. Her fur seemed to be flames, but never burned. At least, that I had seen. I smiled slightly, and sat next to the cat.

"You are a good sensei, Matatabi-san. And a good friend." Matatabi-san blinked at me.

 **"Hmm. Perhaps you will be able to make more friends. You're still planning on enrolling in the Academy in a few days, yes?”** I curled in on myself.

"Yes. But not many kids my age seem to know the things I do. I don't want...to be weird."

 **"Weird, and all those other nasty names they call you, are because they don't understand you,"** Matatabi-san huffed. I shrank back a little, worried that I had upset my only friend. But she outstretched a paw, bringing me gently closer. I briefly wondered if she was going to start licking me. This time, the answer turned out to be no. But I did get nuzzled, until I relaxed a little.

"Matatabi-san? Why are you friends with me? I'm grateful, but why? No one else wants to. You see, every day, that people hate me."

**"You make me curious, little one. I've watched you grow up, and learn so fast, with books and hard work. I guess I didn't want you to be alone, and I wanted to try something different. See if a human would be friends, or at least be kind to me for a change. I haven't had a friends in a long time."**

"Oh."

 **"Now, what else are you going to practice today? You've gone through a fair amount of techniques already.** " 

"Everything!" With a purr, Matatabi-san let me go back to my surroundings. I trained almost the entire day, though Matatabi-san reminded me to eat lunch. I had, of course, brought that with me. No reason to go back to where the people were, if I didn't have to. But I had to brave the streets again before it got dark. This time, I didn't pause, just made my way back to the orphanage. I got slightly fewer stares and whispers as a result, and sighed with relief. After dinner, I grabbed a bit of food for lunch tomorrow, before heading to my room and climbing into bed. My routine continued, training or studying, until the day I entered the Academy.

Most of the kids were noisy, but some weren't. I had noticed that the previous day, with the entrance ceremony. Now though, I only went to my assigned classroom with the others. I made sure to sit in the back corner, as far as I could get from the others. Our chunin-sensei entered, and started the lesson. I paid attention, but sighed. I had already learned basic history from the books I had read, but the Academy was meant to teach everyone. And everyone had to start somewhere. Not everyone had, or wanted training before the Academy.

The next weeks proceeded to be boring, but I practiced and studied everything anyway. I could only get better by practicing, as annoying as it could be. Matatabi-san had taught me that, but it also felt...right somehow. She also continued to coach me on what she could, advanced things I had found out through the library. It could be tricky to learn techniques solely from reading, but I usually managed fairly well. Sometimes, I wished I could bring those scrolls with me to class, to study instead of the things we were being taught. But since I didn't own them, I couldn't. They wouldn't let Academy students take materials out of the library either. At least I learned a few more things, like geography, more history, and math. The lessons we received made me curious, which meant more time in the library reading and studying. But when the chunin-sensei got to the next lessons on those subjects, I realized I had read much further ahead than I had intended.

"Matatabi-san, what am I supposed to do? I want to keep learning, but classes are so boring!" I asked one evening, taking a quick break from studying. Matatabi-san paced the grassland in my mind, though whether it was because I was agitated, or because she wanted to, or something else, I didn't know. Cats were like that.

**"You could see if you could figure out the Academy's curriculum. That might give you an idea of what's expected for the upper years, and see where you are."**

"That solves what to study on my own, but it doesn't solve the problem of classes being so boring." Matatabi-san laughed, before sighing.

**"I don't know little one. I know you still want to pay attention in class...maybe you can figure out something to do that will make things a little less boring. Use your observation skills to learn more about those around you. And you like the calligraphy shop, yes?"**

"But I can't buy anything from there.” Matatabi-san chuckled, and swiped my head gently with a tail.

 **"I know. But if you found a book in the library, and figured out how to practice..."** I thought about that, then, smiled.

"Oh. I'd like that."

 **"There you go."** Matatabi-san gave me a nuzzle before I went back to my studies.

After the week off for the fall equinox celebrations, and over the next couple of months, I started working on Matatabi-san's suggestion. I already knew some things about calligraphy, and decided to practice what I knew first. I didn't have any sort of notebook, so I made do with the backs or margins of worksheets in class. Sometimes, instead of studying as much after the Academy let out, I spent time working on my physical skills. I also decided to watch my classmates. I had already been keeping an eye on them, but that had mostly to see their reactions. Some didn't seem to have really noticed me. I didn't know if that meant they were unobservant, or if I had really gotten better at being sneaky. The rest of the class did notice me, and those were split between those that shot me dirty looks, and those who just stared. The ones who shot me dirty looks were certainly in the majority. I think others in the orphanage may have warned the clan born kids about me. Over the next few days, I did more categorizing. A decent amount of kids, some clan born, some civilians. Some orphans, like me. Maybe around thirty in total. At this point, with only the first year in the Academy, it made sense to have so many kids in the class. They were sure to get whittled down within the next years. A few different kids caught my attention, though I'm not completely sure why.

A brown haired girl, with purple rectangle tattoos was kind to everyone. She didn't seem to actually notice me, but I considered it enough of a kindness that she didn't stare at me. I did notice that she struggled in some lessons. Not academics, but some of the stretches for taijutsu she clearly wasn't used to. Still, I could see that she tried, so that counted for a lot. At least, with me. I admired people who worked hard.

A black haired boy who was energetic, and nearly always had a grin on his face. But he was always late, something that irritated our chunin-sensei to no end. He definitely didn't notice me, too busy making noise in class, or occasionally sleeping through class. He had a clan symbol proudly displayed on the back of his jacket, that once I looked it up, I discovered was the symbol of the Uchiha. As far as I had observed, a lot of the Uchiha clan were smart, and really good with ninjutsu and weaponry. Maybe he'd get better with time.

A silver haired boy, who always paid attention, like me, but also seemed bored. Some of the clan kids seemed a bit bored too, but that honestly depended on the lesson. The silver haired boy was always bored, no matter the lesson. He was also a bit arrogant as well. That, I could understand to some extent. When you knew so much already, but the others didn't, it could be hard to be patient with others. I felt the same way, except I didn't speak to anyone, so of course, no one knew. I knew the silver haired boy had registered me as part of the class, but now, he didn't pay attention to me. Then again, he didn't really pay attention to the others, so...he might have been the first person to treat me the same as anyone else, except for Matatabi-san.

Another girl, jet black hair, though solid black unlike mine. The tips of my hair turned to a light brown that was kind of pretty. The girl with jet black hair always looked a little sleepy, and she slept through many of the lessons. Yet she still got good grades, and did well when asked to demonstrate, even if she had to be poked awake. She too, wore the Uchiha clan symbol, but didn't always sit near the other Uchiha in the class. I couldn't tell if she knew I was there, and didn't care, or something else. Still, when I reflected on it, those four kids were the first ones to not really seem to care if I was there or not. Compared to the hostility I got from everyone else, it was nice. But I still didn't feel comfortable talking to them. Sometimes though, instead of calligraphy, I sketched them on the backs of my worksheets. Not often, but sometimes.

But none of my observations, drawings, or calligraphy kept me from getting good grades, and being really good in other lessons, or studying far more advanced topics than I was supposed to know. I even studied the curriculum for the special kunoichi classes. Though some of those things, I thought were a bit silly to know. Still, several places around the village, and the country, still did things very traditionally, so those skills were important to know. I studied my classmates more, and the adults in the village more, and learned exactly where some of those kunoichi skills might be needed. That, of course, led me to observing more of my surroundings in general, and discovering another good aspect of my abilities to stay quiet and unnoticed. It allowed me to listen in on conversations all over the village. I even knew what the general missions were like, by listening to the shinobi gossip. It was amazing what people said, when they had no clue I was around. Some of these findings led me to do more research, but being only an Academy student, I couldn't access many records. Oh well. I could still study other topics.

 **You're getting better little one. Aren't you in the fourth year Academy curriculum now?** Matatabi-san asked one night, as I poured over books and scrolls in the library. Jutsu books and scrolls this time, and certainly more advanced jutsu than they taught the first years, which made it so more interesting. Older students were there, not really noticing me. That, I was fine with. A mostly hidden chakra signature was also there. This one, was one that was around often, feeling like rumbling stones. I turned my attention to Matatabi-san.

_I am. I like knowing things, and this way, I keep improving._

**So you do. Your sensing range is getting better too.** Matatabi-san noticed, just as I realized someone new had come into the library. Before, when I first realized I could sense well, I could only sense a room, but now, I could sense an entire building.

 _I can feel their chakra nature. I couldn't really identify that clearly before._ I added. Matatabi-san purred, pleased with my progress.

 **Very good. That'll come in useful. Have you introduced yourself to the four classmates that caught your attention yet?** I curled up tighter in my chair.

_No. I'm...still scared. I still don't like people, and I always get weird looks whenever people do notice me._

**Hmm. Perhaps one person at a time? That might make it easier.**

_Maybe._ Matatabi-san didn't say anything after that, but before I fell asleep in my bed, I curled up next to Matatabi-san in my thoughts, content for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 01.20.2021: Edited


	3. Chapter 2: A Place in the Choir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinobu meets people. New friends? Also, a warning for some not nice things happening to Shinobu.

The next morning, I practiced jumping from roof to roof, something I always saw the older shinobi doing. I was getting better, my speed, stamina, and strength constantly improving. It was fun, almost like flying. I was still careful though, usually getting a running start for gaps, or avoiding the gaps altogether. As an added bonus, no civilians could travel the roofs, and many Academy students couldn't either. It was a much quieter, and less hostile way to travel. Though the back alleyways weren't too bad, all things considered. As I landed safely on the ground near the Academy, I could hear Matatabi-san purring in satisfaction, and feel a different hidden chakra signature. Rain like, this time. Then, I felt another two chakra signatures coming toward me rapidly, and I was almost run into by the Uchiha boy I had observed in class. The boy skidded to a halt, almost falling before the brown haired girl with purple tattoos caught him. I only avoided falling by swiftly backing up.

"Sorry, sorry! There's always something, I really don't try to be late. I didn't mean to run into you! Are you ok?" I nodded, taking a breath to calm myself. Nearly getting run into was not the way I wanted to start my morning.

"Oh. Well, I’m Uchiha Obito. I can get you a treat to make it up to you..." I shook my head. Uchiha-san stared at me, confused. The girl however, smiled.

"Hi, I'm Nohara Rin. You can call me Rin-chan if you want." Rin-chan, I recognized now from the orphanage. I hadn't heard her gossiping about me, at least when I was in hearing range. Neither of them really seemed bad...they weren't being mean to me at all, or giving me nasty looks. Maybe a bit concerned, or confused, but not nasty or weird. I looked at them a bit more closely, searching their faces, their body language. They really were sincere about everything. Both of them blinked, and Uchiha-san’s mouth fell open, before Rin-chan nudged him.

"Uh...why are your eyes different colors?" Uchiha-san asked. I flinched, and looked down, letting my bangs cover my face. This had all been a mistake. Such a big mistake. I took off running, getting out of the alleyway.

"Wait!" But I kept running, getting plenty of distance before being more sneaky. I got into the Academy grounds, before using a route I had discovered to get into the classrooms without having to bother with the main corridors. Windows and air ducts were easy to navigate, especially if you were smaller. As such, they were wonderful things. I slipped into my seat, sitting low. Only then, did I realize I was shaking. I felt a slight tug on my mind, and Matatabi-san pulled me into my mindscape.

 **"Oh Shinobu-chan. Breathe,"** she told my gently, picking me up by the collar of my clothes. She settled me between her front paws, and once there, she started licking me. I did as I was told, the licks gradually soothing me.

"You're not mad? You said to make friends," I whispered. Matatabi-san paused in her grooming.

**"You need to do that at your own pace little one. And I know how much your eyes bother you."**

"I just...once people see my eyes, that's it! If they hadn't hated me before, they do now! That's if they don't hate me after seeing my birthmarks!" I cried. Matatabi-san resumed licking, waiting until I had calmed down further.

 **"I know, little one. Breathe again please. Just concentrate on breathing. You have time until class starts. Just breathe until then."** I did as I was told, and by the time Matatabi-san let me go back to my surroundings, it was only a few minutes before class started. At least I had stopped shaking by then. I spotted Uchiha-san and Rin-chan sitting together, talking quietly. I blinked. Uchiha-san wasn't late? Why? But as he glanced around the classroom, I started to suspect he had tried to catch up with me, and Rin-chan probably had too. But sitting this low in my seat, and considering I was still trying to hide, I didn't think they could see me. I took a breath. I wanted this day to be over, and I wanted a quiet spot with no one around. The chunin-sensei entered to start the lessons. I still paid attention, I still took notes, but I didn't sketch, or practice calligraphy today. I could barely concentrate on the lessons as it was. Lunch came, and I stayed in the classroom while everyone else went outside, as usual. But before lunch was over, Uchiha-san and Rin-chan came back inside. Both looked preoccupied.

"I really didn't mean to scare her Rin!" Uchiha-san protested, sounding like he had been repeating this fact over and over. Rin-chan nodded patiently.

"I know Obito. I...I can't be sure, but she might be the one I keep hearing about in the orphanage."

"What?"

"There's other kids that talk about this girl our age, who won't talk to anyone, and is rarely around. They say really nasty things about her, but I don't know why."

"She just seemed super shy this morning. If she avoids people, then why are they nasty?"

"I don't know if she was the same girl Obito. It's just an idea," Rin-chan told him, shrugging helplessly.

"I want to apologize Rin."

"I think that's awesome Obito. But maybe we should wait and see if she shows up. We can keep an eye out." I hesitated as I packed up my lunch things. They didn't hate me? They had seen my eyes, my face, and they didn't hate me? They didn't want to avoid me? They...still wanted to talk with me? Did...did I really want to talk to them? Not now, especially with lunch almost over. But maybe...I'd watch them. Maybe...later.

That night, I sat in my room after packing everything for the next day. I looked out the window, at the dark sky, and the glowing streets below. Today, had just been so weird. Were there really people who weren't freaked out by me? They had seemed sincere, and they hadn't seemed to want to trick me or anything. So now what? I didn't want to approach them, but maybe...maybe if they found me again, I'd...try not to run away. Maybe even talk with them a little. I just didn’t know. I sighed, then got ready for bed. Matatabi-san stayed with me, gently nuzzling me until I fell into an uneasy sleep.

In the morning, I watched my sunrise, relaxing in the quiet and pretty colors. I dressed, grabbed my bag, and got breakfast. I sat in my usual corner, flinching occasionally if the kids got louder. I suddenly felt the bench shifting close to me, and I looked up in shock. Rin-chan sat, smiling gently at me.

"Hi. I'm sorry about yesterday, if we scared you. Obito would like to apologize too, if you'd let him." I froze. Seriously? Rin-chan seemed so honest and cheerful, her chakra like sun warmed water. But...I had to ask, I had to check. I took a breath.

"You...you're ok...with...with me?" I whispered. Rin-chan gave me a confused look.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I...I'm...my..." I flinched. "So...so many people..." Rin-chan frowned.

"Oh. I've heard the other kids here talking. But I don't know why they're so mean to you. Even if you came from a different place, you've grown up here. This is your home as much as it is theirs." I hesitated. It seemed Rin-chan was really trying to be nice, but this...how could someone actually like me?

"The...the adults..."

"The adults are mean to you too?" I nodded miserably. "That's really awful. Aren't you lonely?" I considered that one. Matatabi-san was always there for me. But being to actually be with people who didn't hate me...would it be so bad? I shrugged. Rin-chan sighed, then smiled at me again. She reminded me of the sun, warm, cheerful, and gentle.

"Well, I promise not to be scared of you, or to be mean to you, or anything like that. I'll be your friend, if you want me to be. I don't care what others think. Being an orphan, and not from a clan, makes me a bit of an outcast anyway." I considered all of that. My gut instincts, said that Rin-chan was ok. I just had to take that last step. I nodded, and Rin-chan's smile grew bigger. 

"What's your name?"

“Katsuki Shinobu."

"Well Shinobu-chan…can I call you Shinobu-chan?” I nodded. “Can I convince you to meet Obito? He really does feel bad about yesterday." I thought about it. Uchiha-san had seemed sincere, if a bit noisy, but on the other hand, Rin-chan seemed to balance him out. And this morning hadn't been too bad. I think I can tolerate a little bit more social interaction. I nodded, if a bit hesitantly. Rin-chan smiled again.

"Ok. Obito's always late because he helps his clan. Just little things, like helping the elders with groceries, or getting pets out of trees. But he promised to see me at the Academy early today. Come on." I hesitantly followed Rin-chan to the Academy, putting up with more stares, whispers, and dirty looks than I had in a couple months. Rin-chan noticed, and by the time we reached the Academy, she didn't look happy.

"Is that really what it's like for you every time you go through the streets? I thought the orphanage was bad, but it's the whole village, isn't it." I looked down, and nodded. Rin-chan sighed, then opened her arms. I stared at her, and she took a step, then embraced me. She let go very quickly as I stiffened. But it...hadn't felt bad.

"I promise Shinobu-chan, I will be your friend," Rin-chan said, her eyes more firm than I had seen from her yet.

"Thank you," I whispered. At that moment, Uchiha-san came running, and slid to a stop, panting.

"Rin! I'm not late, am I?"

"No, you're not Obito. I found her, this is Shinobu-chan." Uchiha-san saw me then, and grinned.

"Great!" His expression shifted to be a bit more serious, but very earnest. "I'm so sorry about yesterday! I really didn't try to scare you at all. Please, please don't be scared now. What were you scared about yesterday? I promise I won't do it again!" I took a tiny step back. Ok, so Uchiha-san was a lot more enthusiastic about things than Rin-chan. But no less sincere.

"You...you mean it?" I asked, still unsure.

"Of course I do!" Uchiha-san looked a bit indignant, but Rin-chan put a hand on his shoulder.

"We talked a bit earlier this morning Obito. The kids at the orphanage, and actually everyone around the village are mean to her. She's really not used to people being nice."

"Oh, that's not nice at all! Please, will you be friends with me and Rin? We won't be mean to you, promise! We can help you!" I took a deep breath, then another. Rin-chan and Uchiha-san were really, actually ok with me. They didn't hate me, and they weren't freaked out by me. I...could work with this. I think. I nodded. Uchiha-san grinned, and pumped a fist into the air.

"Yes!"

"I...I'm going to class," I whispered, before moving around them.

"Hang on Obito. I think Shinobu-chan needs some space." I heard Rin-chan say.

"Oh, ok." They came into the the classroom not too long after I had, carefully searching for me. Rin-chan spotted me first, then dragged Uchiha-san to a seat close to me. The seats closest, were already taken for the day. Shortly before lunch, a small paper shuriken landed on top of my notes when the chunin-sensei was distracted by an Inuzuka kid. The excited barking and slightly frantic apologizing were kind of hard to miss. I looked up, already looking in the direction it hand come from. Uchiha-san grinned when I caught his eye, and gave me a thumbs up. Curious now, I gently unfolded the paper, and read the message inside.

_Hey Shinobu-chan! Would this work if you don't want to talk? Obito_

_We can work something out for all of this. Just let us know when you need space, ok? Rin_

I hesitated, then, started to write a reply where there was still space below the original messages.

_Yes Uchiha-san, I will Rin-chan. Thanks._

Then, I carefully folded the note back into a shuriken. I glanced up, writing a few notes down as the chunin-sensei got back on track. Then, I waited. With it so close to lunch, the kids were more likely to get into trouble. Sure enough, a few of the civilian kids started goofing off, and the chunin-sensei turned to yell at them. As soon as his back was turned, I channeled my chakra carefully, and flicked the paper shuriken. It landed, point first in the wood of the desk between Rin-chan and Uchiha-san. They both started in surprise, but then Rin-chan tugged it out and unfolded the paper. She and Uchiha-san read it, but before they could figure out a reply, the bell rang for lunch. The chunin-sensei groaned.

"Everyone's dismissed for lunch, except for you two. You've got to stay here, and eat your lunches where I can see you. And please, Inuzuka, please have your Ninken go outside!" Some of the kids laughed, and the Inuzuka girl blushed bright pink.

"Yes sir!" I hesitated. Since others were going to be in the classroom, I did not want to be there. But outside would be so much noisier...then I noticed Rin-chan motioning for me to follow her and Uchiha-san. I did, a bit cautiously.

“Hey Shinobu-chan? No need to be so formal, ok? If you call me Uchiha-san, I’m always going to think you’re talking to someone else in my clan! Obito-kun is good, please?” Uchiha-san asked as we walked. I smiled a little ruefully, and nodded. It was…nice to be thought of as an equal. We headed outside, and then to a giant tree towards the outskirts one the yard. None of the other kids were here, and I sighed in relief. This...this would be ok.

"Shinobu-chan, it's probably going to be the quietest place in the yard. Everyone else likes to play games during lunch, so they like the more open area," Rin-chan offered. I nodded. We sat on the massive roots, Rin-chan and Obito-kun still giving me space, but close enough to talk. All of us unpacked lunches, and I noticed none of them were very big. Rin-chan, like me, didn't get a huge amount of food to eat. It wasn't that the orphanage didn't want to feed us, it was just with so many kids, none of us could afford big meals.

"Hey, Shinobu-chan, here," Obito-kun said, holding out a roll. I hesitated, looking at his own small lunch.

"I...I don't want to take..."

"You're not taking from my lunch, promise! I said I would get you a treat for running into you yesterday. Sweet roll fresh from a bakery this morning! I help out the owner a lot and he gave me a couple things to share with friends. I didn't know what you liked, so...I kind of went neutral. I hope you don't mind."

"Shinobu-chan, never, ever refuse a treat from an Uchiha bakery. They're the best," Rin-chan said, happily accepting the daifuku Obito-kun gave her. "Oh Obito, you remembered! You got the strawberry filled!" I accepted my own treat then, and tried it. My eyes widened. Not too sweet, and so, so soft in the middle. It felt like I was eating a cloud.

"Thank you," I said, sighing happily. Obito-kun grinned.

"No problem! I'll remember you like the sweet rolls, promise! Oh, and that throw you did? That was awesome! Where did you learn to throw like that? That's way better than most of the others in our class! And how did you get paper to stick in wood?" I looked down, embarrassed. But...Obito-kun was just curious.

"I...taught myself. And chakra."

"Wow, you can do chakra molding already? There's not many who can, I mean most of the class is just starting the leaf sticking exercise. Though now that I think about it, you didn't have any trouble with it." Rin-chan said, looking impressed. I nodded, still a little hesitantly.

"It's ok that you can, really! It's so cool. Maybe you could help us?" Obito-kun asked. I hesitated again, but then, gave them a tiny smile, and nodded. They grinned, and we finished our lunch in happy silence.

A slightly new pattern began for me in the following weeks. Rin-chan and Obito-kun had managed to get the seats next to me, so we all sat together at the same desk. We still passed notes folded into origami, because it was less disruptive to the class, and we could still talk. The origami part of it was just fun. Besides, I showed them that they could stick small pieces of paper to themselves, as a version of the leaf sticking exercise. So sometimes, the note passing included pauses when Obito-kun and Rin-chan tried sticking the note to themselves. It took a while, but they both got it eventually. I was still hesitant most of the time with them, still very quiet. They started to be able to tell when I was uncomfortable with something, and when I just wanted to be left alone. Rin-chan sometimes acted as a buffer between me and Obito-kun, which was ok. Obito-kun's personality wore me out, but he didn't take offense. Outside of the Academy, I still preferred to be left alone, and I still avoided people as much as I could. I still spent a lot of time studying and practicing. But when I was at the orphanage, Rin-chan stayed by me, if I said it was ok. We'd find a quieter room, and usually read, or figure out more origami shapes. Rin-chan made the orphanage more bearable, but I still didn't spend much time there. I preferred to train or study on my own.

When winter break started though, I was miserable. The caretakers wanted us to stay inside so we didn't get into a bunch of trouble while preparations for the festival started. I tried to stay in my room, but I didn't get much of a chance to do that. Just a day after break started, a knock sounded on my door. I got up, then hesitated. It wasn't Rin-chan. Instead, it was the mildly irritated chakra of Yakushi-san, head of the orphanage. I flinched, but didn't want to be rude. I cautiously opened the door.

"Good morning. I know you don't typically hang around the others, but I think if you made some friends, you wouldn't have to hide. Come on. For the rest of break, you're forbidden from staying in your room, and you have to be with others." I couldn't break out of the iron grip she had on my wrist, and with the fast pace she was pulling me, I had to trot to keep up, and avoid being dragged. And I couldn't use Kawarimi, because I hadn't yet mastered the technique to do it without seals. Besides, I wasn't sure if using the technique would also bring along Yakushi-san, since she had direct contact with me. In my mind, I could hear Matatabi-san growling, but I didn't think she could do anything. Yakushi-san dragged me all the way to the main playroom in the orphanage, where pretty much everyone else had gathered. Of course, since Yakushi-san was the head of the orphanage, everyone was looking our direction.

"For those of you who don't remember, this is Shinobu-chan. She doesn't have any friends, and I think she should spend some time with all of you." Yakushi-san suddenly released me, then closed the door to the playroom swiftly. Everyone stared at me, and with how quickly Yakushi-san had released me, my long bangs were out of my face for once, allowing everyone to see my eyes and birthmarks. And with the door closed, I couldn't run. I spotted Rin-chan towards the back of the room, looking concerned. She started making her way forward, but a few older kids got in her way.

"The weird eyed freak? No way!"

"What is she?"

"I heard she's a ghost. Just disappears and reappears." A few of the others got very nasty smiles on their faces.

"Well, if she's a ghost, the freak should be able to do all sorts of stuff. She should be able to fly, or turn invisible."

"Oh, let's make her fly!" A few of the older kids grabbed me, and I struggled. Their grip wasn't as strong as Yakushi-san's, but there were more of them. I didn't actually want to hurt anyone either.

"Let her go!" Rin-chan cried.

"Nah!" They dragged me up the stairs in the room, then pushed me to the edge of the railing of the loft.

"Go on! Fly!" I shook my head, shaking all over.

"You can't, or you won't?"

"She will!" One of the kids reached for me, and I couldn't take it. I flew through seals, using Kawarimi with a toy in the corner of the room downstairs. As soon as I was in the shadows, I hid behind the bookcase and toy chest. I knew a basic genjutsu, Magen: Kokoni Arazu. I used that as well, just in case.

"Where'd she go?"

"That sneaky little freak! She used Kawarimi!"

"Where is she?" They looked for me, including roughly in the area that I was. But the genjutsu made sure they didn't find me. I stayed hidden until lunch, the shaking slowly easing. The others gathered towards the door, though Rin-chan stayed in the back, still scanning the room for me. She looked so worried. But she finally left. Some of the others were still under the effects of my genjutsu, and I took a breath, before carefully releasing them, and dispelling the genjutsu. No one noticed, as I followed everyone to the dining hall, finding my usual corner. Rin-chan found me, and slowly slid in next to me, watching my reaction.

"I'm so sorry Shinobu-chan. I tried to stop them, and I couldn't get to you fast enough. Are you ok?" I nodded, but didn't say anything. Rin-chan went to squeeze my hand, but noticed how badly I flinched. She instead lay her hand next to mine, and stayed close, but never touched me. She finished her own lunch besides me in comfortable silence. We started to head to a different playroom, a less full one, but I got stopped.

"What's this I heard about using a jutsu?" Yakushi-san asked, her tone stern. A few of the older kids who had tormented me earlier turned around.

"She used Kawarimi Yakushi-san."

"Really? Well young lady, I told you that you needed to make friends. In order to make friends, you need to actually be around them, not hiding off in a corner. No more jutsu use from you!"

"Yakushi-san, she was about to be pushed from the loft railing. She did it so that she wouldn't get hurt," Rin-chan said. Yakushi-san looked at her, then shook her head.

"What reason would anyone have to hurt her? You all know the rules about being up in the loft. No going over the railing. Anyone who does, doesn't get dinner tonight. Honestly, keeping you all inside was meant to keep you from mischief, not make more! Now get in there, all of you, and play!" The door to the playroom shut again, and I got surrounded, again. At least this time, Rin-chan was at my side.

"Should we try with the sneak again?"

"Nah. We'll..."

"Oh, we'll chase her!"

"You want to get close to the freak?"

"Stop it! There's no reason to do anything to anyone!" Rin-chan said, glaring at the others.

"Oh, fine. This morning was tiring enough anyway." I flashed Rin-chan a grateful look. She gave me a small smile, then pushed through the kids to a secluded corner. I tried to read, but heard the various jeers the others tossed my way. I flinched every time, and eventually gave up reading. I couldn’t concentrate. Finally, they left for dinner. I slowly followed, Rin-chan still by my side.

For the next couple of days while the festival preparations finished, Rin-chan and I managed to hang out in the smaller playrooms, where there were less kids. The kids in there, mostly left me alone. Finally, we were allowed to go to the festival.

"Come on, we can go see Obito. I promise we won't stay in any of the noisy areas long," Rin-chan whispered, as soon as we were out the door. I nodded, and Rin-chan led the way to the Uchiha district. There, Obito-kun nearly ran into us. Rin-chan quickly slipped in between me and Obito-kun to get hugged, hoping to distract Obito-kun. It worked.

"Rin! Shinobu-chan! It's so good to see you!"

"It's only been a couple of days Obito!" Rin-chan laughed.

"I know, but it's way too long! It sucks that they make you stay in one place, it was so cool to watch all the decorations go up! Come on, a couple of the elders gave me a bit of money to get food. I'll get us a snack for all of us! What do you want?"

"Oh, dango please!" Rin-chan said happily.

"Ok. Shinobu-chan?" I thought about it. I wasn’t really in a party mood, but if Obito-kun was offering, I wouldn’t say no. Nothing too sweet, and the sweet rolls weren't really festival food. But I did spot something on a nearby stand.

"Mochi?"

"Ok! I'm going to get daifuku! Come on!" Obito-kun was about to drag us both off, and I flinched, backing up hastily, before Rin-chan caught his hand. Obito-kun studied me, a bit worried.

"Shinobu-chan? I didn't mean to scare you, I'm so sorry! Extra mochi for you."

"We'll follow you Obito." Obito-kun saw Rin-chan's serious face and frowned.

"What happened?" Rin-chan glanced at me, then grimaced.

"Shinobu-chan got bullied badly by some of the others. She doesn't like being touched, even more than usual.”

"Oh, Shinobu-chan, I really am sorry. I'll definitely get you extra mochi. Let's go." Obito-kun led us around, wandering to see all the decorations, and finding stalls with that sold the snacks we wanted. He managed to get a bag for our snacks too, and in the shadows of an alley, we paused.

"We should watch the fireworks! We're allowed to do that!" Rin-chan suggested. Obito-kun grinned.

"Cool! Um...does anyone know a good spot?"

"This way," I said quietly. I led the way to my usual training spot. Just as I had hoped, it was still practically deserted.

"What is this place?" Rin-chan asked curiously.

"Training Ground Three. Not many people come here," I answered.

"And if we climb the trees..." Rin-chan mused, looking at the higher branches. Obito-kun grinned.

"After you! I climb trees all the time one handed." Rin-chan climbed first, then I channeled my chakra, and simply walked up the trunk. Obito-kun climbed up after me, and grinned.

"With how good you are at chakra control, it makes sense you can walk up trees. So cool!" We got settled, and happily ate our snacks as the fireworks exploded overhead. Blue, green, red, orange, yellow, pink explosions lit up the dark sky, almost like a more sudden and colorful sunrise. And I had Obito-kun and Rin-chan in the tree with me. I sighed happily. This, was probably the best day of my life.

"We should probably head back," Rin-chan sighed, once the fireworks ended. We reluctantly climbed down and headed back into the village. Under the brightly colored lanterns, we stopped.

"Obito-kun, Rin-chan, thank you. Tonight was so nice," I told them, smiling. Both of them smiled back.

"No problem! Hey, try to make it out later, we can hang out, and train together!" Obito-kun said.

"We will!" Rin-chan promised.

 **Well little one, I'm glad you're happy. This was a very nice night for you. Rin-chan and Obito-kun are good friends for you**. Matatabi-san observed, after I had climbed into bed for the night.

 _They are Matatabi-san._ I thought sleepily. Matatabi-san purred, and I fell asleep soon after.

Over the remainder of break, I escaped the orphanage as much as I could, going out to the library to study, or going to the training ground to practice. Rin-chan sometimes found me, and we'd study and train together. Sometimes, we found Obito-kun so we could all train together. Rin-chan and Obito-kun both started working on sticking leaves not just to their arms, but their faces, and legs and feet as well. The leaves usually fell off their feet, but they made progress in sticking the leaves on the other places. I had started on water walking for my chakra control exercises. As I result, I got soaked, but Rin-chan learned quickly to bring towels, and Obito-kun could produce tiny amounts of flame thanks to his fire-natured chakra, and the Uchiha clan's flame jutsu. I always got dried off rather quickly, and never felt cold for too long. Most of the time however, I trained on my own, and Rin-chan and Obito-kun respected my space. On the last day of break however, rain pounded against the windows of the orphanage. No going outside in that. I had found a corner in one of the smaller playrooms again, Rin-chan by my side. The door flew open, and older kids came in, grinning.

"There you are! Last day to have fun, little sneak!" Rin-chan stood, irritated.

"Why can't you just leave her alone? Why are you so mean?"

"Why do you spend time with the freak?"

"Ah, don't bother her about that. There's no accounting for taste, but Yakushi-san said the freak had to spend time with us. Maybe she was just biding her time."

"Oh, let's just go already!" The older kids grabbed me again, and and grabbed Rin-chan. We tried to get out of their grip, but couldn't, as we were dragged to the main playroom, and up to the loft. Once there, the older kids wrapped twine tightly around my wrists and hands. It hurt, and even worse, I realized immediately what they were preventing. I couldn't make hand seals.

"No Kawarimi now!"

"What are you doing? Let her go!" Rin-chan cried out, kicking against one of the kids that still held her. The kid winced, and tightened his grip. Rin-chan hissed in pain.

"We'll let her go. Some kids think she's a ghost. She's going to prove if she is."

"But Yakushi-san said-" Rin-chan protested. The older kids laughed.

"She's not here!" I panicked as they pushed me towards the railing again. Everyone else was below, and I shook like a leaf. They pushed me over the railing, and I heard Rin-chan scream, and Matatabi-san growled.

 **Kawarimi!** With Matatabi-san's help, I concentrated, and just before I hit the ground, I managed to use Kawarimi to switch places with a pillow on the couch. I landed awkwardly, but scrambled behind the couch before anyone realized where I had gone. Of course, there was uproar. I didn't dare move from my spot, and I couldn't really move. That burst of concentration completely gone, I just curled into a ball, and shook. The door opened.

"What are you kids doing?" Yakushi-san asked, voice stern.

"Nothing. Just games."

"You pushed Shinobu-chan off the railing!" Rin-chan yelled furiously.

"What have we said- you did what?"

"Just showing off a few ninja tricks."

"That's it, jutsu is now banned for everyone inside the orphanage grounds." Yakushi-san paused. "Where is she?"

"She used Kawarimi again."

"Everyone start looking." Yakushi-san ordered. I heard more movement, and took deep breaths. I worked the twine off, wincing. They had made it so tight! The twine left red marks on my wrists and hands that burned, but I couldn't do anything about it. I calmed down enough to sense Rin-chan was still in the room, and so was Yakushi-san. I didn't move though, not until Yakushi-san found me, and pulled me from me hiding spot. I cried out in pain as she pulled on one of my wrists. Yakushi-san stopped pulling, and examined my hands and wrists. My hands, were red, with skin broken and bleeding just a little. My wrists, had deeper cuts, and had swollen. Yakushi-san sighed, and her hands glowed green. My hands stopped bleeding, and the swelling on my wrists lessened.

"Let's get you bandaged up. You know, if you made more friends, they wouldn't be tempted to play pranks on you." I flinched, but didn't answer. Rin-chan looked furious. Yakushi-san wrapped my wrists and hands securely in bandages, then sent me to dinner. As soon as dinner finished, I fled to my room. There, I curled up as tightly as possible, though I was careful of my still tender hands and wrists. A soft knock sounded after a while, and with relief, I recognized Rin-chan's chakra.

"Shinobu-chan? Can I come in?" I opened the door, and Rin-chan came in, waiting until I had closed the door. She held her arms open, but I shook my head. I…I couldn’t take this! Tears fell, and I sat down, and cried. I didn't know why the others were so mean! I hated it! Rin-chan sat next to me, saying nothing, but simply there. My tears eventually ended, and Rin-chan handed me a tissue.

"I'm so sorry Shinobu-chan. How are your hands and wrists?"

"Sore," I whispered. My back ached too, from my landing. Rin-chan winced, and silence fell for a bit. I straightened a little as I remembered something.

"You ok? You...you were in pain..." Rin-chan nodded. 

"I'm ok. My arms hurt a little, but no bruises." We fell back into silence for a while. This, this quiet, in the gathering darkness, with someone I trusted, was ok. I wished it could always be like this. 

"You didn't need hand seals to get away." Rin-chan said softly. I blinked. I hadn't. That...was something good? Doing things wasn't bad. It's just...with what happened...I was still trying to process.

 **Learning jutsu without hand seals is a good thing Shinobu-chan. I'd recommend it.** Matatabi-san interjected gently. I nodded slightly. Rin-chan let out a long sigh.

"The others really are horrible. I'll stay with you until curfew, if you want?" I nodded, and leaned my head on her shoulder.

"Thanks Rin-chan."

"Of course. And we get to see Obito tomorrow." Curfew came much too soon. But at least, I could get out of the orphanage tomorrow.

 **"Shinobu-chan, keep the bandages on until tomorrow evening. I'm working on healing your injuries. It's not much, but I'm trying not to let any of my chakra leak,"** Matatabi-san told me, pulling me into my mind after Rin-chan had left.

"Are you afraid of people?" I asked, confused. Matatabi-san snorted.

 **"Hardly. Most, are annoying, or worse,”** Matatabi-san paused. **"Shinobu-chan, I'll tell you more about myself, and yourself. Let me know if it's too much. It's a hard burden to bear."** I nodded, warily. I settled myself more comfortably between Matatabi-san's paws, and she continued.

**"You're what's known as a jinchūriki. Literally meaning, 'the power of a human sacrifice'. You, are the host for me."**

"Host? Sacrifice?" I echoed, stunned, and scared.

**"I am what's known as a bijū. Specifically, the Nibi. I am pure chakra, very powerful. Humans, most of them anyway, consider me a weapon. To try to control me, they sealed me inside of a person. If I get taken from my host, my host dies."**

"So I hold you prisoner?" I asked quietly. Matatabi-san nuzzled me.

**"Yes."**

"Matatabi-san, I am so sorry."

**"I am too. Yet you, are my favorite host yet, and my friend. I care for you, little one."**

"Thank you. That must be hard, since most humans are so mean."

**"It's not hard to care for you. You, earned my trust. As soon as you were old enough to speak coherently, you called me pretty. You've only ever asked questions, and never demanded anything. Besides, with how awful most humans are, you needed a friend."**

"Are you part of the reason why everyone hates me?"

**"Normally, jinchūriki are mistrusted and feared. In this case though, no one, with the exception of the Hokage and a few others, know that you are my host. So the humans are awful to you, simply because they can."**

"Are there other bijū?" I asked curiously after a few minutes. Matatabi purred, pleased.

**"There are. There's a total of nine of us. We can all communicate with each other, but my brothers and sisters are usually fairly grumpy."**

"That's not nice."

**"It's what they do. You've asked enough questions for tonight, little one. Go to sleep, and enjoy time with your friends tomorrow. And I think we can drop honorifics after today. We've been through enough."**

"Thank you." 

**"Of course. Now, sleep."** I obeyed, desperately hoping that tomorrow would be better. In the morning, Rin-chan and I left the orphanage as soon as we could after breakfast, and we took as many side streets as we could to avoid most of the traffic. Then, we waited in front of the Academy. The doors hadn't opened yet. Finally, they did, and I darted inside while Rin-chan waited for Obito-kun. I hid my bandaged hands in the wide sleeves of my turquoise yukata style dress, and stayed low in my seat while the others filed in. Obito-kun and Rin-chan came in with another girl, the other Uchiha.

"Shinobu-chan! Come meet my cousin Chihiro! She helped me make sense of some of the fire jutsu for the clan! Oh, and you should be able to call her by her first name, right?” Obito-kun said cheerfully. Chihiro-san raised a hand, and smiled.

“Right. Hey." I nodded, a little cautiously. New people, not good. Being around the others was hard enough right now. But then, I froze. Chihiro-san seemed so familiar, like I had known her from somewhere, but I couldn't place her. I studied her chakra signature. Unlike Obito-kun's cheerful crackling flames, Chihiro-san's felt like the fires in a forge, much more intense. I hadn't ever felt a chakra signature like that before, but she still felt familiar. I didn't know what to think about that.

"Shinobu-chan's really shy," Rin-chan explained. Chihiro-san shrugged, but didn't seem offended.

"That's fine. Still nice to meet you." Obito-kun spent a few more minutes talking to his cousin, but then slid into his seat.

"Rin, Shinobu-chan, you're more quiet than usual. What happened?" Our chunin-sensei started the lesson then, and Obito-kun swiftly tugged a piece of paper from the stack he kept for our notes. Rin-chan glanced at me. I hesitated, then, withdrew my hands from my sleeves. Obito-kun's eyes widened at the sight of the bandages, and hissed as I pushed my sleeves up to reveal my bandaged wrists as well. He wrote furiously as I shook my sleeves back into place. Rin-chan slid the unfolded piece of paper in my direction.

_Just what the heck happened?_

I took a few notes, and replied to Obito-kun's question.

_Bullied. Got pushed off of the loft. Mastered Kawarimi without seals._

I slid the note back, and heard a crumple of paper. I glanced at Obito-kun, and he looked absolutely furious. He tore the paper up, reached for a new one, and wrote. Then he folded it up, and tossed it on top of my notes when the chunin-sensei wasn't looking. I unfolded it to see only three words.

_I'm so sorry._

_Thanks. It's been a hard break. Rin-chan's awesome._

I wrote. Rin-chan blushed, and I folded up the note. Rin-chan glanced at me, and I nodded. She took it to pass to Obito-kun. He read it, and gave Rin-chan a hug. We didn't have much more to say after that, so we just paid attention in the lessons. I was glad I had studied and trained over break. That made adjusting back to Academy expectations easier. The chunin-sensei, once he saw my bandaged hands and wrists during weapons' practice, excused me from the physical lessons for the day, provided I watched. I sat on the sidelines, grateful. After taking notes, my hands were sore again. I heard Matatabi purr reassuringly, and the pain in my hands lessoned.

_Thank you._

**Of course.** At the end of the day, Obito-kun stopped Rin-chan and I before we left.

"Look, if it gets that bad again...I'm an orphan too, but being part of a clan, I have my own apartment. There should be enough room if you two want to spend the night."

"Thanks Obito. I don't know if we'll be allowed, but if we are, we'll come," Rin-chan promised.

"Just be careful. No friends of mine should be bullied. I wish I wasn't bullied," Obito-kun grumbled. Rin-chan and I frowned.

"What?" Obito-kun shrugged.

"Some jerks who happen to be older cousins of mine. It's never bad, and lately, Chihiro's stepped in. It's gotten a lot better since then. Sometimes, I hang out at her place. Oh, and her mom is an awesome cook! Sometimes she makes me snacks. I promise, the next time I get any, I'll bring them with so we can have a larger lunch!"

"Thanks Obito!" Rin-chan and I never got permission to spend the night at Obito-kun's, though we did ask. But I also managed to mostly avoid the other kids from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, I'm using the Japanese versions of the jutsu in most cases. If you want to know the English version, leave a comment.
> 
> 01.20.2021: Edited


	4. Chapter 3: Heartland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Formation of Team 7!

More weeks passed by, then months, and I just kept improving. I managed to get through the material for the fifth year curriculum, including the kunoichi classes. I spent a lot of time mastering everything, but also worked on my other skills. After what had happened during winter break, Matatabi kept encouraging me to do the basic Academy jutsu without seals. It took me a bit, but managed it. During classes at the Academy, I continued to be way ahead of most of my classmates.

During taijutsu classes, I did better than a lot of kids. Obito-kun, Rin-chan and I had taken to practicing with each other after school, and Chihiro-chan sometimes joined us. The practice, paid off. I wasn't as strong as some of the kids, but I was a lot faster, and more flexible. Also partially due to the bullying I received, I was a lot more observant, and I could react far more quickly than others. However, I wasn't as good as the silver haired boy, or a black haired boy. In ninjutsu, I was matched by the silver haired boy and Chihiro-chan. Though as far as I knew, neither had mastered doing the Academy jutsu without seals. I kept that ability secret. I did well in genjutsu, but Chihiro-chan was far better. I wondered if that was partially due to her being part of the Uchiha clan. They had a genjutsu affinity. Chakra control, I knew I was among the best, though my sensory capabilities helped out there. Academics, I wasn't sure who ranked first. I didn't pay as much attention to class rankings, not when I was so far ahead.

I continued with my calligraphy practice, and sketches. Rin-chan and Obito-kun really liked it when I drew them, so occasionally, I'd use our note paper, and make sketches for both of them, which they kept. Both of them were still really good about giving me space when I needed it, and on those days, they hung out with Chihiro-chan. At least, if she didn't decided to take a nap in the yard. She sometimes seemed more like a Nara, than an Uchiha. I asked Obito-kun about it once, when it was just him, Rin-chan and I. Obito-kun had managed to get bakery sweets again, so we were happily biting into our favorite treats.

"Oh, Chihiro doesn't always sleep well. She says she has bad dreams, or weird dreams a lot, but she doesn't say what they are. So she catches up on sleep where she can." He glanced around the yard, and grinned when he spotted his cousin. "Like now." Rin-chan and I followed Obito-kun's pointing finger, and Rin-chan giggled, when she saw the Uchiha girl curled up in the roots of another tree not too far away.

"Oh well. Maybe she'll join us for weapons practice after school. Is it a library day Shinobu-chan, or will you practice with us?" Rin-chan asked, looking up. I had taken to sprawling out on the lowest branches of the tree, but it was still low enough to talk easily. I thought about it. I had gotten really good with kunai and shuriken, but I still struggled with senbon.

"I'll come."

"Great! I'll let Chihiro know about it after school," Obito-kun said happily. That afternoon, was fun. We were all getting better, especially Obito-kun. Chihiro-chan had been coaching him on a lot of things, and he was happier than he had been at the beginning of the year. I knew final tests would be taking place soon, and I hoped I'd be in the same class with Rin-chan and Obito-kun next year. Though, I didn't know what I'd do for schoolwork. I'd figure that out when it came time to worry about it. Finally, the official announcement for the year end tests came around, about a week before the tests would actually take place. I calmly accepted the news before lunch, while Obito-kun groaned loudly, and let his head drop to the desk with a thump. Rin-chan smiled, and patted his back, even though she looked nervous herself.

"It's ok, Obito. They're just tests."

"I hate tests." Chihiro-chan turned in her seat from in front of us, and smiled gently at Obito-kun.

"Some will have to be physical. You're better at those." But Obito-kun just groaned again. We got dismissed for lunch then, and headed out to our lunch tree. It was so nice out, the sun shining, and the weather warm. I got to my usual perch, and Rin-chan sat beneath me, while Obito-kun and Chihiro-chan took the next root.

"I know I'm better at physical, but it's still so much pressure! I really hate tests!" Obito-kun's complaints weren't the only ones I could hear, kids all across the yard were very loudly complaining. With the others, I didn't have much sympathy. They were really just whining. Obito-kun on the other hand, was genuinely scared.

"We have a week to practice," I said quietly.

"That's right! We can all help each other practice and study, and then we'll just do our best. That's really all anyone can ask," Rin-chan added. Obito-kun sighed, but did look a little happier. We all trained and studied for hours every day after school that week, in addition to the constant review sessions in class. By the day of the tests, I felt ready, and confident. Obito-kun and Rin-chan were still nervous, but with all of our hard work, they were also more confident.

"Good luck!" Obito-kun said as we entered the classroom for the written test.

"You too!" I nodded, gave my friends a smile, then the tests started.

I did my best on the written exams, though I frowned a bit as I took them. Some of these questions, I hadn't expected to be on first year exams at all. Some things, I had studied in fourth or fifth year curriculum, but maybe, the instructors wanted to push the kids, and have a better placement in classes next year. Still, I was able to answer all the questions. I also did my best in the practical exams, working with kids I had never seen before. A lot of them were older, and a tougher opponent in taijutsu than I usually had to contend with. Still, I didn't get beaten much. My speed and reflexes saved me more than once. The obstacle course to measure physical conditioning without chakra enhancements was also new to me, but I still did well. I caught a few looks and whispers as I finished, but did my best to ignore them. I had to focus today. Finally, the tests finished in the afternoon. We weren't supposed to leave Academy grounds until results were announced, so the yard filled with exhausted kids, too tired to complain, or compare experiences. After the morning, I wanted to be alone, so I gave a quick wave to Obito-kun, Rin-chan, and Chihiro-chan, then found my favorite tree, climbing high into the branches. I found a patch up sun, and curled up, before falling asleep. After an hour, I woke up as I sensed a chakra signature much too close to me. I uncurled, instantly alert, before relaxing as a chunin-sensei waited patiently a branch or two below me.

"Sorry for interrupting your nap, but your sensei would like to see you. Head to your classroom." I nodded, and hopped down. The classroom was empty when I arrived, but Chihiro-chan got there, closely followed by the silver haired boy. He felt like crackling energy when I took a second to check. We sat at our usual seats, and the chunin-sensei came in. He grinned at us, and I frowned. He usually didn't look so happy. What had happened? And why wasn't the entire class here for their results?

"Congratulations. You three graduate this year." I froze as the other two jumped. Graduate? But it had only been a year! Sure, the material was easy, but...I wouldn't be with Rin-chan, or Obito-kun. Who would I be with then? What if it was one of my tormentors from the orphanage? I curled up tightly in my seat, and took a deep breath.

"Graduate?" Chihiro-chan asked. Our sensei nodded.

"Yes, you're graduating. I know it's a bit of a shock, but we should have tested you three much earlier. I noticed you were the best in the class, and requested you be given the fifth year exams, just to test you. You all passed with flying colors. It's been decided, that you three will be a team. Your new sensei will be here soon. Go eat, and get your hitai-ate." With that, the chunin-sensei left. I still sat curled up. I just didn't know what to think. But I did listen as Chihiro-chan and the silver haired boy talked.

"We've sparred some. You're not bad," the silver haired boy told Chihiro-chan. She scoffed a little. 

"Thanks, I think. What's your name?"

"Kakashi Hatake."

"I'm Chihiro Uchiha." I watched them with interest. Kakashi-kun was a bit arrogant, as I had observed before. But some of that was lessened now. He seemed to respect Chihiro-chan to some extent. She, was studying Kakashi-kun with a mix of mild irritation, interest, and curiosity. Chihiro-chan broke the stalemate with another question.

"I brought homemade lunches. We didn't get the chance to eat earlier, and we're all hungry. Want to eat together?"

"Not if it's in here, or out there," Kakashi-kun said flatly. The other kids were getting noisier as their energy came back.

"The roof's the quietest spot you can get without leaving the grounds," Chihiro-chan countered. Kakashi-kun considered, glaring out the window. Then, he sighed.

"Fine." I sighed. I didn't necessarily want to be around people. I didn't really want to eat lunch with people who weren't as familiar as Rin-chan and Obito-kun. Yet I thought that our new sensei would probably want to meet us together. The roof really would be the quietest spot. I ate there occasionally, if I wanted to be alone. Besides, Chihiro-chan shared food sometimes. I couldn't deny I was hungry. I sighed again, decision made. Two minutes later, we had all our food spread out. Chihiro-chan's ka-chan had apparently made a very large lunch, and Kakashi-kun had a large lunch too. He didn't share, but Chihiro-chan did. I sat with my back to the wall that jutted above the roof, and started to eat. We ate in silence, and it was...ok. I still didn't really know what to make of all this, but the quiet, was nice. I tensed suddenly as I sensed a breeze like chakra. It had come from nowhere, and it was so powerful. It wasn't today's shadow, which was in a nearby tree. I had never sensed this one before.

"Not with the others? I always enjoyed lunchtime as time to get to know other people," a friendly voice said from behind. We spun around to see a tall, blond haired young man with a ready smile on his face. He balanced easily on the top of the wall. He was right above me, and I hastily backed up. He didn't seem mean, but he had startled me. As I studied him, I realized he was a teenager, older than us by maybe around ten years or so. And easily jōnin level chakra.

"What if we want to get to know others, but be respectful of their needs? I know Shinobu-chan hates noisy places, and Kakashi-kun didn't want to be in the yard, or the classroom," Chihiro-chan challenged. The teen smiled, hopped of the wall edge, and walked around what little food was left before sitting.

"Very observant and considerate. Tell me, are you the three first years who happened to graduate today?"

"We are," Kakashi-kun admitted, studying the teen a little warily.

"Excellent! I'm your new sensei, Minato Namikaze. I'd like to know a little bit more about you. Likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies, you get the idea. You with...well, I've never seen eyes like that before." I froze. He had seen, Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan had seen, all of them were looking at me! Not again, not again! I panicked, and used Kawarimi to land in the tree I had taken a nap in earlier. I collapsed on the branch, curling into a ball, and shaking.

 **Breathe, little one.** Matatabi reminded me gently. I did so, feeling Matatabi purring reassuringly. I concentrated on that, relaxing just a tiny bit. I jumped, as I felt the breeze like chakra appeared in the tree several branches below me.

"Well I have to admit that's a new one. I don't think I've ever had a Leaf shinobi run from me before." I panicked again, he had just appeared, I wasn't ready, I wasn't calm...I used Kawarimi again, this time going to the lunch tree. Almost as soon as I had sat on a branch, that breeze like chakra appeared right next to me, and strong hands held mine. I looked up, terrified, and saw the bright blue eyes of Namikaze-san watching me. I flinched violently, looking down, shutting my eyes tightly, and pulling away with all my strength.

"Please, I'm not trying to scare you, I just want to talk. I'll wait until you calm down, but please don't run again," Namikaze-san told me softly. I pulled anyway, I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to get away! 

"Shinobu-chan!" Rin-chan's voice, sounding worried, and standing at the base of the tree.

"Do you know what's going on?" Namikaze-san asked.

"Please, let go of her, she hates being touched! And she's terrified right now."

"Shinobu-chan! What happened?" Obito-kun, worried, angry. Namikaze-san let go, and I used Kawarimi again, but only went down to the base of the tree, where I knew Rin-chan and Obito-kun were. I curled tightly into the roots, feeling Rin-chan and Obito-kun shielding me from the rest of the yard, but still giving me room.

 **Keep breathing little one. You have your friends, and I'm here too. I don't think he means harm, but just keep breathing.** Matatabi told me gently. I took a breath, then another concentrating as hard as I could on Rin-chan's and Obito-kun's signatures. Both so, so familiar, and safe. Namikaze-san stayed in the tree above, and I felt something press into my hand. Paper.

I opened my eyes, to see Obito-kun's bag open, with more paper ready. With unsteady fingers, I started folding, making a clumsy shuriken. Obito-kun silently put another square of paper into my hands, but this one had words.

 _You ok?_ I only shook my head, and worked on folding that one into a better shuriken than the last.

"I'm sorry that I scared you so badly," Namikaze-san said quietly, after a few minutes. "You mentioned she hates being touched?"

"Shinobu-chan is bullied, a lot. She was hurt during winter break, and...well, she doesn't trust people," Rin-chan explained carefully.

"Except for you two," Namikaze-san noticed. 

"She knows we'll look after her, no matter what," Obito-kun said. We stayed silent for another few minutes. The yard slowly emptied as everyone else went inside. As I calmed down, I could sense a few chunin-sensei standing nearby, and Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan were nearby too. Chihiro-chan worried. Obito-kun must have told her about my panic attacks. Kakashi-kun, just confused.

"Better?" Rin-chan asked softly, after I had completed a third shuriken. I took a breath, and nodded.

"Rin and I have to go back inside. I'll leave the paper here. Make as many origami things as you want, ok? We'll check in later," Obito-kun said. I nodded again, and both gave me smiles, before heading inside with the chunin-sensei. Namikaze-san slowly came down from the tree, settling on a root. I sensed only worry, and concern in his chakra. No fear, no hate. 

"Can you tell me what triggered all of this?" he asked gently. I took several more breaths, working on a flower this time. I finished the flower, and started work on another one.

"You...you saw...my eyes," I whispered finally.

"But they're beautiful. I admit I didn't get much of a look, but the green and blue are both so clear, and pretty. You also impressed me a great deal. Seal less Kawarimi, excellent chakra control, and excellent reflexes. Most genin couldn't pull that off. Not to mention, I couldn't, and still can't sense you, and Kakashi-kun over there said he couldn't track your scent. If you had made a genjutsu, I don't think I would have found you at all." I froze. Namikaze-san wasn't freaked out by my eyes, and he thought highly of my skills. And he wasn't mad. Still worried, but I sensed no hostility, no impatience, nothing like that.

"I...I'm called...freak...and sneak..." I protested.

"By who?"

"Everyone." I reconsidered briefly, then corrected myself. "Almost everyone." Namikaze-san looked so sad at that. 

"I'm sorry. My girlfriend has been bullied a lot too. She has beautiful long, bright red hair. When we were younger, she got teased a lot for it, and she hated it. Over time though, she started to appreciate her hair. I'll have to introduce you to her, soon. She's on mission right now, but she might be able to help." I didn't reply, but that seemed to be ok. I made another flower before Namikaze-san asked another question.

"Are you calm enough to talk to your new teammates? I really would like to get to know you all. And the other students will be released soon." I hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. I...couldn't face the crowd and noise of others. Namikaze-san beckoned Chihiro-chan and Kakashi-kun over.

"Alright, all of you hang on tight. I'll take you back up to the roof." Kakashi-kun immediately grabbed onto Namikaze-san's shoulder, and Chihiro-chan grabbed a hand. Namikaze-san held out his other hand to me. I hesitated, grabbed my origami and the extra paper, then held onto his hand. Before I could blink, we were back up on the roof. I hadn't really felt much movement, so it didn't feel like Shunshin. I had been working on learning that, but I hadn't felt any wind.

"What-" Kakashi-kun asked, as he stumbled a little. Namikaze-san gently deposited us back to our seats. I curled up again, but packed my lunch things away, tucking the finished origami and extra paper into my bag.

"Why don't we start again? I'm Minato Namikaze, your new sensei. You can call me Minato-sensei, or sensei. I like learning, and spending time with my girlfriend. I especially like her cooking. I don't like people would threaten the village, or my friends. My main hobby is fuinjutsu. I'd really like to be Hokage some day, but we'll see how that goes. Now, can we start with you Shinobu-chan?" I took a breath, then another.

"Sh...Shinobu Katsuki. I...like learning. Rin-chan, Obito-kun. I don't like people. I don't know."

"You don't know what your dreams are?" I shook my head. It would be nice not to be hated, I just didn't know how that would happen. Namikaze...Minato-san nodded, and turned his attention to Kakashi-kun.

"You next."

"Kakashi Hatake. I like training, especially with swords. I like hanging out with my tou-san. I don't like bakas, or those that don't try. I don't really have hobbies. I'd like to be as strong as my tou-san." Minato-san smiled, and Chihiro-chan had snorted softly. 

"Alright then. And you?" Minato-san asked, moving on to Chihiro-chan

"I'm Chihiro Uchiha. I like being with others. I don't like bullies. I enjoy reading and learning, and I practice as hard as I can to be the best. I'd like it if I were clan leader someday."

"Thanks. Any questions for me?" I was curious about the jutsu he had used, but also in no mood to ask.

"What was that jutsu? It didn't feel like Shunshin, and there was no smoke," Chihiro-chan asked. Minato-san smiled.

"It wasn't Shunshin. Just so you know, Shunshin doesn't need smoke, it just hides a shinobi's movements. I used a technique called Hiraishin. It's a difficult technique, but it's part of the reason I'm so fast. Now, I'd like you three to meet me at Training Ground Three tomorrow morning at six. Bring any supplies you think you might need. More details will be given tomorrow. You're dismissed." With that, Minato-san disappeared. Kakashi-kun left soon afterwards, and I left quickly as well. I did stop to grab my new hitai-ate, then headed to the library.

 **More research?** Matatabi-san asked gently.

 _I don't know much about Minato-san._ By the time I went to the orphanage, I knew whatever training would happen tomorrow would be interesting. Minato-san was fast, a high level jōnin, and a skilled warrior. He also seemed very observant, intelligent, and analytical considering what had happened that afternoon. My thoughts crashed to a halt as Yakushi-san met me at the door.

"The Academy said you graduated. You are therefore, a legal adult. You have two months to find an apartment, and leave the orphanage. Just wanted to warn you," she said flatly. 

"Thank you, Yakushi-san," I muttered. Then, I escaped to my room, and sat down on the bed. Two months? I didn't have money to pay for school supplies, much less an apartment! And I was only five! I was capable, but could I really be considered an adult? I curled up, and started to cry. Why was all of this so hard? Every time I thought I had gotten a little peace, my life was turned upside down, again and again!

"Shinobu-chan?" Rin-chan whispered at my door. I wiped away my tears, and opened the door. Rin-chan came in, and sat.

"What's happened? Are you ok? Why was Minato-san holding on to you?" I silently pulled my hitai-ate from my bag. Rin-chan gasped.

"You graduated! That's amazing! I knew you were so good with everything, but this is really amazing!"

"How...how do you know Minato-san?" I asked, curious. 

"He stops in sometimes. He'll tell stories, but I don't think you were in when he's visited. He's very, very nice, and patient." I thought about that. Maybe, just maybe, having a new team wouldn't be quite so horrible. I knew Chihiro-chan. Kakashi-kun and Minato-san...seemed to be ok. 

"He...he's my new sensei. He...saw my eyes..." Rin-chan nodded, understanding. 

"And that trigged the panic attack. I promise he'll be patient with you, and not mean at all." I nodded, and pulled the extra paper out of my bag.

"Give...give this to Obito-kun? Please?"

"Sure! But why won't you? You'll have time, outside of training. You're still here." I flinched, and shook my head.

"I... have two months to...to...move out. Genin are adults." I whispered. Rin-chan sighed, and held out her arms for a hug. I shook my head. I had enough of touching for one day. Rin-chan simply nodded in understanding, and her arms fell back to her sides. 

"I'm sorry Shinobu-chan. I can try to help look during summer break, if you want." I nodded.

"How...did you and Obito-kun do?" 

"Obito and I both passed our tests. We're starting next year in the same class."

"That's good." Rin-chan hesitated then.

"You want me to tell Obito about your graduation?" I nodded. "Ok. I'll let you get to sleep. Good luck." Rin-chan sliped out to her own room then, and I packed for the next days. I didn't own any ninja tools, but I could at least pack a snack and I could get basic first aid supplies. Apart from that, I planned to be early to the training ground.


	5. Chapter 4: Defying Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ever present bell test, plus a few surprises.

The following morning, I still took time for my sunrise. But as soon as it was over, I hurried. I grabbed a couple things from the snack cabinet for breakfast. Then, I hurried to Training Ground Three. I had no idea what might happen, so I walked, instead of using the roofs. I still avoided anyone who happened to be in the streets, but this time of day, there were fewer. I was the first one at the training ground, and it took another twenty minutes for anyone else to arrive. I spent that time reaching out with my senses, getting a really good feel for the surrounding land. I almost didn't have to, since I knew this training ground like the back of my hand. But it never hurt to get a few reminders, especially since I was so nervous. I breathed in the cool morning air, trying to relax. I knew I'd have to interact with the others, probably talk to them. None of them had been hostile yesterday. But I was still so scared. I didn't really know what Kakashi-kun or Chihiro-chan thought of me, or how far Minato-sensei would push.

 **Tackle those problems when they come, little one.** Matatabi suggested. I took another deep breath, and nodded.

Kakashi-kun arrived, then Chihiro-chan. Kakashi-kun wore his new hitai-ate across his forehead, where I guess it's supposed to go. Technically. But the head isn't the only place on the body that needs to be protected. Chihiro-chan wore hers around her right thigh. I wore mine around my neck. The others, also had bags filled with ninja gear, and a few holsters for things. I flinched, self conscious. Sometimes, I really hated being an orphan. At least, I had a few first aid supplies. I'd make do. I sensed Minato-sensei's arrival first, that brief spark of chakra before he was there. I looked towards the breeze chakra, just in time to see Minato-sensei coming towards us. He waved, smiling.

"Everyone ready? Good. I want to see what you're capable of. The task is simple." Minato-sensei held up a pair of bells on strings. They jingled pleasantly as a light breeze passed through them. I studied Minato-sensei thoughtfully. I didn't know what this might mean...but watching the bells hang from Minato-sensei's hand, I...just wanted to play with them. Matatabi seemed pretty intent on the bells too. Chihiro-chan tensed, but somehow didn't seem surprised. Kakashi-kun stared at the bells, laser focused. Minato-sensei noticed our reactions, and his smile grew wider.

I tensed as I sensed three new chakra signatures. One, felt like merrily dancing flames. Another, swiftly running water. The last...no...there was another, smaller signature. One that felt...more wild. But that one, was right next to a boulder like signature. They had slipped into the forest, and took up positions. Watching? Today's shadows, were also in the forest. I had sensed two more frequently after winter break. The gusty wind chakra signature, and the rumbling stones chakra had split up, one going in the direction of the new chakra signatures, the other just inside the tree line. What was going on? Was this more than just a simple test? Minato-sensei spoke again, pulling me back to my surroundings. But I felt Matatabi take a more alert position, keeping an eye on the new chakra signatures for me.

"Your task, is to take the bells from me. Use anything, and everything you have. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't get the bells. You have until noon. Questions?"

"Why are there only two bells?" Kakashi-kun asked suspiciously.

"Whoever doesn't get one goes back to the Academy. You may have graduated yesterday, but if you aren't able to get a bell, you aren't ready to be a ninja," Minato-sensei said mildly. Yet there was just a little bit of coldness in his eyes. I shivered. I really didn't want to annoy Minato-sensei in any way. Kakashi-kun's eyes narrowed, and I felt a thrill go through him, followed by a jump in his chakra. He was so confident, ready to take on the challenge. I wondered how much he was considering that Minato-sensei was a jōnin, not a classmate. Chihiro-chan was more wary, but also seemed ready to attack at a moment's notice. What did I want to do? Attack right away? No, so not my style. I usually let my classmates try to make the first strike. On the other hand, I knew there was no way that one of us could beat Minato-sensei. It was just too great a challenge. We'd have to work together...I sighed. That, was the true test. Not if we could actually get a bell, but to see if three genin, who didn't really know each other, could work together. Since neither Kakashi-kun or Chihiro-chan wanted to back down, I guess I was going to help them. I got into a ready position, classic Academy taijutsu. Minato-sensei nodded, tossed the bells into the air before catching them, and attacking them to his belt by his hip.

"Alright then. Ready? Start!" Kakashi-kun shot forward, throwing kunai before attacking Minato-sensei. Different moves than the Academy. Maybe a clan style? Minato-sensei spun out of the way, then dodged Kakashi-kun, just as Chihiro-chan attacked. She didn't use the Academy style either. I joined in, supporting Chihiro-chan. I knew Kakashi-kun was better at taijutsu than either of us, so Chihiro-chan and I would have more success together. Chihiro-chan gave me a slightly confused glance, before grinning in understanding.

"Not bad. You understand the basics of taijutsu well enough. Not quite enough to get past me though!" Kakashi-kun glanced at us, pausing just outside of the range of Minato-sensei's arms. I heard him sigh, before he slid in, jabbing towards Minato-sensei's open side. I heard a slight jingle as Kakashi-kun managed to touch a bell, and ducked as I sensed a massive buildup of chakra from Chihiro-chan. Minato-sensei, grinning like Obito-kun did when he was excited, threw Kakashi-kun towards the forest, then ducked Chihiro-chan's stream of fire.

"Oh, not bad at all! Didn't call out the jutsu, very good! Still have to get a bell though." Kakashi-kun growled, coming in low. I swerved out of the way, putting my own speed and flexibility to good use. Chihiro-chan went high, leaping to kick at Minato-sensei's head. Kakashi-kun's hand sparked, and managed to get a hand on Minato-sensei's leg. Lightening raced up his leg, only to turn into a log. Chihiro-chan landed on the ground, breathing hard.

"Crap! Where'd he go?" she growled. I spun, throwing my leg out. Minato-sensei laughed as he jumped up, avoiding my leg sweep, instead landing a few feet away.

"You three are certainly above the skill set of genin fresh out of the Academy. My turn." Minato-sensei struck, using a technique I recognized. Fūton: Reppūshō could be very strong, even though it was just a C-rank technique. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, and I landed heavily on the ground several feet away. Right as we regained our feet, Minato-sensei used Hiraishin. I closed my eyes, concentrating. He was in the forest...right next to the water natured chakra signature. No stress or anger...did he know them? My wind natured shadow had returned to just inside the tree line some time ago, also not irritated. Interesting. More observers then?

"Hey Shinobu-chan. You ok?" Chihiro-chan asked. I opened my eyes, and nodded. Kakashi-kun growled, looking around the training ground.

"He's crazy strong. Tou-san said he was, but I never figured..." I hesitated. I had information that might help...and I remembered some things that Minato-sensei had said yesterday...an idea started to form. I just didn't know if we could pull it off.

"I...did research...and I...I think...I might...have an idea." Kakashi-kun, distracted somewhat from his bad mood, looked at me.

"Oh really? Tell us," his voice demanding, and maybe a little disbelieving. I flinched. On second thought, maybe I'd just stay quiet. I backed away, one step, then another. It would make things easier if I just didn't get in the way...

"Stop it," Chihiro-chan snapped. I flinched again, then realized Chihiro-chan was glaring at Kakashi. He frowned.

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. Stop it with your arrogant, self absorbed attitude! It'll only hurt those around you! Pay attention to your nose! Can you smell Shinobu-chan?" Kakashi stopped, and sniffed.

"I can't smell her."

"Exactly. And I can't sense her." Chihiro-chan said, still glaring. Kakashi-kun sighed, then looked at me.

"Could you please tell us what you found?" I hesitated still. Kakashi-kun didn't seem happy, still, but his tone was calmer.

"I..." I took several breaths. "I...know...Minato-sensei...he's known for his speed."

"So he's not just strong, he's also fast," Kakashi-kun mused. "Is it just his teleportation jutsu, or is it his speed in general?"

"Both."

"Which means, in order to stop him, we need to slow him down. Traps would do that." Chihiro-chan mused. I nodded.

"But that hard part is that we'd have to make the traps hard to detect." Kakashi-kun said. Chihiro-chan grinned, and pulled open her bag. Inside, lay ninja wire, both the standard kind, dulled, and chakra sensitive. She also had extra weapons, and tags.

"You're talking to an Uchiha. I've got all sorts of toys."

"Can...can you make the traps...make...Minato-sensei go a certain way?" I asked, a little hesitantly. Chihiro-chan smiled.

"Sure. But what are you thinking?" I took a breath, closing my eyes. Apparently, I could completely mask my scent and chakra signature when I was scared. Could I do it on purpose? I tried pulling everything in again.

"Are you scared again?" Chihiro-chan asked, a bit worried. I shook my head.

"I...can completely mask my signature. Yesterday...Minato-sensei had trouble finding me..."

"That's right. He only did, because I told him that you liked trees," Chihiro-chan said slowly.

"I was surprised when I couldn't smell you. I can't now either. How do you do it?" Kakashi-kun asked.

"I...just...pull everything in. This...this was the first time...I tried to do it on purpose. But...Minato-sensei...he said yesterday...that if I had used a genjutsu...he wouldn't have found me."

"Oh! So what if you did?" Chihiro-chan asked eagerly.

"I...might...be able to sneak...maybe," I admitted. I wasn't completely sure, but maybe.

"So you need distractions. That's why you wanted to know about the traps," Chihiro-chan realized, grinning.

"We didn't do horribly earlier. I managed to touch a bell because you two created a hole," Kakashi-kun said thoughtfully. Chihiro-chan nodded.

"This time, it would be you and me. Can you work with that?"

"Yes."

"Good. We should use jutsu too, to lure him into the traps."

"Make ourselves tempting targets."

"Exactly. Shinobu-chan, would that work for you?" I nodded, then hesitated again.

"I...can make a mist. And...combine it with genjutsu." Chihiro-chan's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that would be cool."

"But it would cut off visibility. And if the mist has genjutsu, wouldn't we be caught in it automatically?" Kakashi-kun argued.

"You already admitted you were a scent tracker. I could sense my way through it." Chihiro-chan shot back, before sighed. "But yeah, being caught in a genjutsu could be a problem."

"No genjutsu in the mist. But you could still use it to hid your presence." Kakashi-kun said, looking at me. I nodded.

"Are we good then?" Chihiro-chan asked, impatient and excited now. I nodded, and so did Kakashi-kun.

"Let's go." We picked a small clearing very close to the river, so it would be a bit easier to create my mist. We used all the things in Chihiro-chan's bag to ring not only the entire clearing in various traps, but also the canopy above. It had been Kakashi-kun's idea to create an exploding net in the canopy. Chihiro-chan had a made a couple points where either she or Kakashi-kun could channel chakra into the chakra sensitive wire.

"Ok. That's about the best that we can do with the materials I've got." Chihiro-chan sighed, setting a last trap. I looked around, and nodded to myself. We had done a lot, and the traps were well hidden.

"Minato-sensei did say if we weren't prepared to kill him, we wouldn't get the bells." Kakashi-kun agreed.

"Ok. We're near the river here, and I can make steam with my fire jutsu, which should make your mist a little less unnatural. And we all know what we need to do. Ready?" Chihiro-chan asked. I took a breath, and nodded, before retreating towards the river. My chakra signature completely muted, same with my scent. And with the genjutsu cast, I didn't think anyone could tell where I was. I could tell where everyone else was. The four chakra signatures had shifted some, but still hadn't made any move. My shadows had moved to the other side of the river, almost directly across from me, but hidden in the trees. Minato-sensei, had just appeared in the rigged clearing. 

I heard, and sensed the first trap going off. Lightening burst out, then several small fireballs headed toward the river. I made the hand seals quickly, and as steam hissed and rose, so did my mist. I directed my mist to spread, and moved in. Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan were still attacking Minato-sensei, though they were getting tired. Several traps had been tripped, and a few more were waiting to be tripped. Kakashi-kun tripped another one, as I got close to Minato-sensei. A volley of kunai flew straight towards Minato-sensei, and he dodged, right towards me. Probably chance, but convenient. I reached, and grasped the bells firmly, not allowing them to make a sound. Minato-sensei moved to block against a blow from Kakashi-kun, and the bells came free. I used Kawarimi to give myself more room, then took off running. I left the mist as it was, to make things a little more difficult for Minato-sensei, if I could. I'd release the jutsu when the time was up. But I still followed the plan, getting as far away from the clearing as I could. I stopped to catch my breath on the outskirts of the main clearing. Few shadows lingered, it was so close to noon. I sighed, then yawned. I could probably let go of the genjutsu. I was so tired, and my chakra levels were the lowest they'd been...ever. That didn't surprise me though. I had used so many different techniques, a lot all at once. I don't think I'd ever juggled quite so many techniques before. I heard a massive explosion, and looked around. I hadn't thought that Chihiro-chan made the tags quite that big... Minato-sensei appeared in the clearing suddenly, holding onto Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan. I let go of the mist, or at least, what was left of it. Then, I came out of the trees. Minato-sensei smiled.

"Time's up! You didn't get the bells."

"We didn't?" Chihiro-chan asked innocently. Minato-sensei studied Kakashi-kun's flat look, and Chihiro-chan's disbelieving one. He checked his belt. The genjutsu I had placed there faded as I silently held up the bells. Minato-sensei studied me, then looked at the other two. Then, he grinned, and laughed.

"Let me guess, Shinobu-chan, you used what I told you yesterday, and you managed to hide from me completely. To help you, Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan rigged the clearing, and kept me occupied."

"Well, we all trapped the clearing. Those fireballs weren't misaimed either Sensei. Just seeing the mist would have made you suspicious, so the steam helped mask Shinobu-chan's mist." Chihiro-chan said smugly. Minato-sensei laughed again.

"Very well done! You all pass."

"Sensei?" Kakashi-kun asked, confused. Minato-sensei smiled.

"I wanted to test your ability to work together as a team. I think you guessed that aspect. I wasn't too sure what would happen today, but you did so well. Technically, as soon as you three worked together in the taijutsu assault, you passed. But I wanted to see if you could actually get a bell. So I let the test continue." I held out the bells to Minato-sensei, but he shook his head. "No, Shinobu-chan. Keep them as a souvenir. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, I'll get you both a set for a souvenir as well." I hesitated, then clutched the bells to my chest. I...I had done well! I had worked together with Chihiro-chan, and Kakashi-kun, and they were ok. Kakashi-kun could be sharp...though I was starting to realize that was part of him, not directed at me. But I hoped we could be done soon. I was tired, hungry, and desperately wanted to be alone for a while. The morning had been much more exciting than I usually had to put up with. And...I had to start looking for an apartment. Minato-sensei clapped his hands together, getting our attention.

"Next task: analyzing."

"Huh?" Chihiro-chan asked.

"I have the test results from the Academy in your files, and we can continue going over your bell test performance. Come on." Minato-sensei led the way to the shade of a tree. He motioned for us to sit, and we did so, facing him.

"Right. Bell test first. Your taijutsu was varied, and strong. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, you have your clan styles backing up what the Academy taught you. Shinobu-chan, you have the Academy, but have learned to use your speed, and reflexes to throw in many surprises. Your genjutsu skills, and ninjutsu skills are also better than what I expected. I did not expect all three of you to use elemental jutsu." I considered that. Elemental jutsu was supposedly a chunin level skill. Or high genin. Most genin didn't have the chakra control for elemental jutsu. But I was starting to suspect that my team really, really wasn't typical. 

"So, your bell test also helped me to understand where you need to improve. Your base skills all need work, and we'll definitely need to work on your teamwork. I think it might do you three some good to know how to work in pairs. That, doesn't have to be a permanent thing, but it would help you improve for now. I can help you work on any specialties, but let's talk about that after we've discussed your performances in the Academy." Minato-sensei pulled out four folders, and handed them out. "I want you all to know roughly what each other is capable of, so when you're done looking through your own file, pass it to the left. We'll see how your official file matches with what I saw today, and what I discussed with your chunin-sensei." I curled up a bit. What did he know? I was almost afraid to see what my test scores were. But I was curious too. Hesitantly, I opened up my small file. First page, basic profile. Picture, taken when I got my hitai-ate. Name, age, rank, registration number. Second page, sex, basic medical information. I blinked at some of the blacked out lines under the medical information. What? Surely I didn't have any conditions that needed to be classified...except...

_Matatabi, is this because of you?_

**Hmm. I think so. As I told you earlier, only a few people know that you're my host. That information wouldn't be in a profile that others could see.** I nodded, a little absently, and went back to reading. After the medical page, were my Academy test scores. I froze. The octagon showing my skills seemed to be way more shaded than it should be. I looked on the side, where the numbers were. That...didn't seem...but on the other hand, I had graduated in a year...but...I took a breath. Ninjutsu, 2. Given that I knew elemental jutsu, and could do several jutsu without seals, I couldn't help but wonder if that number was low. Taijutsu, 1.5. I was good, but not crazy good. Genjutsu, 2.5. I could already perform genjutsu, and I could sense it easily. Intelligence 3.5. I had book smarts, and my studies of subjects way above my year probably helped. Strength, 1. I was not the strongest, even with chakra enhancements. Speed, 2.5. I was really fast, something many sparring partners had already discovered. Stamina, 2. I didn't show it much, but I could last longer than others during our physical classes. Hand seals, 3. With all the practice I put in, I could perform hand seals almost effortlessly. Total of 18. I sighed. This...wasn't what I had expected. Chihiro-chan squeaked, and I looked up to see her mouth hanging open, and eyes wide. Kakashi-kun, had made a noise like a cough. Minato-sensei studied all of us curiously.

"Ready to pass them?" With slightly shaking hands, I passed my file to Chihiro-chan, receiving Kakashi-kun's. Kakashi-kun's file had an extra page about his clan, but some of the information was blocked out. It...sort of made sense. Clans didn't give all their secrets out. When I got to his Academy scores, I blinked. Ninjutsu, 2.5 Taijutsu, 3. Note saying kenjutsu was practiced on the side. Genjutsu, 1.5. Intelligence, 2.5. Strength, 1.5. Speed, 2. Stamina, 2. Hand seals, 3. Total of 18. His physical abilities were better than mine. We passed the files again. Minato-sensei had his basic profile, basic medical information, lots of mission pages that were completely blacked out, and his stats page had only his total number. 32. Then, I read Chihiro-chan's. She too had a clan page, with more blacked out lines than Kakashi-kun's. And her Academy scores...Ninjutsu, 2.5. Supplemented by medical training. Taijutsu, 2. Genjutsu, 2.5. Intelligence, 3. Strength, 1.5. Speed, 2. Stamina, 2.5. Hand seals, 3. Total of 19. Chihiro-chan seemed to be the most well rounded out of all of us. That was interesting. But still...we all had very, very high scores. 

"Sensei...do we have to take the Chunin Exams right away?" Chihiro-chan asked, a bit hesitantly. I froze again. With such high scores, theoretically, we could take the tests. But...I didn't really want to. Not when I had just graduated! 

"No. You may all have scored very well, but you need experience before the Chunin Exams. I won't even ask you to take the Exams until I think you're ready. Besides, we'll be taking low level missions for a while, just to get you all used to them." Minato-sensei reassured us. I breathed a sigh of relief, and Chihiro-chan and Kakashi-kun did too.

"When we do go into the field, I'll encourage you to start reading the Bingo Book. It's useful to know who your enemies are. Just let me know if and when you want to read the book, and I'll give you a copy." That, sounded very useful. I had heard of the Bingo Book before. It was supposed to have all sorts of information on high level ninja. Not that I wanted to run into any quite yet. But advance knowledge would be nice. I nodded, as did Chihiro-chan and Kakashi-kun. Minato-sensei smiled, and moved on. 

"You all did very well on you tests, and I'd say you did even better today. And I think I spotted a few specialties, but I want to make sure. Kakashi-kun?"

"Kenjutsu. Tou-san teaches me. Also scent-based tracking."

"Anything else you'd like to learn?" Kakashi-kun thought for a minute, then shrugged. Minato-sensei turned to Chihiro-chan.

"And are you an aspiring medic-nin?" Chihiro-chan hesitated, then shook her head.

"Not officially. I'd like to focus on combat, more than healing. But, I also want to be able to keep my teammates safe until we can get home. So I'd like to continue with my studies, if I can. Mom teaches me, and I've picked up some things at the hospital. Sensei, do you think we could all learn some medical ninjutsu?" Minato-sensei studied her thoughtfully.

"I'm not opposed. I'd like you all to be as well rounded as you want to be. But why?"

"Well, field work is dangerous, and having only one medic per team can get tiring for the medic. Wounds could be treated faster, if we all knew a little something. Even just first aid, or some things the civilian doctors know, could be so useful. A little knowledge can go a long way." Minato-sensei studied Chihiro-chan again, then grinned. 

"All very good points. Alright then, I'll see what I can do. Kakashi-kun, Shinobu-chan, would you want to learn a few medical techniques too?"

"Sure." Kakashi-kun agreed. I nodded. 

"Alright then. Anything else you want to learn Chihiro-chan?"

"If there's time, basics of kenjutsu and fuinjutsu. I just want to know a little of everything, and I know fuinjutsu can make my life a lot easier. Oh, and I'm a chakra sensor." 

"Fair enough. Alright then, Shinobu-chan?" I shook my head. I wasn't sure if chakra sensing was really a specialty. Chihiro-chan seemed to think so, but all ninja could do it to some extent. Yet...my range...and sensitivity...I just didn't know. Minato-sensei frowned a little.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be quite skilled in calligraphy. Have you started studying fuinjutsu?" I stared at Minato-sensei. How...how did he know? He smiled reassuringly. 

"When I talked with your chunin-sensei yesterday, he showed my what you did when you were bored." I flinched, and buried my head in my knees. That also meant they'd seen my sketches. That, was so embarrassing.

"It's alright. Calligraphy was a much more practical way to combat boredom than what most of the others did. But with as good as you are, I think you could easily learn fuinjutsu. Just think about it, alright?" I hesitated, then slowly nodded.

"Is there anything else you'd want to learn?" I shrugged. I didn't know. But...if I were offered the opportunity to learn something, I wouldn't say no. 

"Alright then. I'll look into teachers for medical ninjutsu. I'll send Sakumo-senpai a message later, seeing if he wants to help teach kenjutsu. He's the best specialist I know. If he can't, I know a few others who might help." Chihiro-chan's eyes widened. I didn't understand why, but she seemed excited. Then, Minato-sensei moved on.

"I can teach you just about everything else. There might be a few friends I ask to help out with specific lessons, but we'll see. I think that's everything for today, so head home and rest. We'll meet here again tomorrow, same time. Bring your supplies with you every day, unless I say otherwise. Dismissed!" Minato-sensei teleported away, though he didn't go too far. He was meeting with those other chakra signatures again. I took a breath, and took my small bag from the ground. I tucked my bells securely inside. It was so, so time to get out of here for a while, take a break before I started looking for apartments. Where I would go, I didn't know. Not the orphanage, it would be a nightmare. The village was much too noisy, and nearly as bad as the orphanage. My usual quiet spot, held far too many people. Maybe there was another training ground I could go to. I didn't know, and I didn't care much. Just somewhere very much away from people. But then, Chihiro-chan bounced to her feet.

"Let's go get ramen."

"Why?" Kakashi-kun asked warily.

"Kakashi-kun, we're a team now. We're going to need to know each other's moves, each other's tells, anticipate each other perfectly. In order to do that, we need to get to know each other." Kakashi-kun glared, which she matched. Then, he eyed her resignedly.

"Why do I get the feeling that if I said no, you'd just drag me there anyways?"

"Probably because I would. Shinobu-chan, please stay too. You've got to be hungry, and if the noise bothers you that much, we can find a corner." Chihiro-chan admitted. Kakashi-kun sighed, then got to his feet. I flinched, and sighed. I didn't seem to have much of a choice either. But I couldn't deny I was hungry. The snack I packed wouldn't do much. Besides, Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan weren't as horrible as others.

"Fine. I hope it's a good ramen place." Kakashi-kun grumbled.

"It's the best." Chihiro-chan promised, already leading the way.


	6. Chapter 5: Magia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Socialize. It's actually not that bad...

I had seen a few ramen places around town, and it was a fairly frequent dish at the orphanage, but Chihiro-chan had been right. Ichiraku Ramen was the best ramen I had ever had. Even better, Chihiro-chan had treated both myself and Kakashi-kun to lunch. Only trade off was the fairly noisy street outside the stand. But I had been given a corner seat, which shielded me somewhat. I also kept my eyes down, barely speaking, except in response to Chihiro-chan's question of what I wanted. The first bowls disappeared quickly, without any talking. The second bowls went almost as quickly, so it wasn't until the third bowls that we finally slowed down.

"Right! So, who wants to talk about themselves. I'll go first if you want," Chihiro-chan asked. Kakashi-kun, still finishing his bowl, didn't reply. I stayed silent. I really didn't want to talk about myself. They had already learned more about me than most people. I looked down into my bowl, and stirred the noodles with my chopsticks, before scooping some up. Chihiro-chan shrugged, slurped down the rest of her broth, and set her bowl down.

"Ok then. You know my name, you know generally what I like and dislike, and my goals as a ninja. So, my favorite food is ramen, and I do have a sweet tooth. Dango is good. I may be part of a clan, but I don't like many of them. They're stuck up, arrogant-"

"Rude, condescending," Kakashi-kun added, finishing his bowl.

"The list goes on and on. There's too many annoying people around Konoha. Not to mention a lot of bullies. I really don't like bullies," Chihiro-chan finished.

"Where do we rank? Scale one to ten, one we're fine, ten, we're the most annoying people ever," Kakashi-kun asked, a note of curiosity in his voice. Chihiro-chan hesitated, playing with her chopsticks. A minute passed, then another, before she finally spoke.

"Let's see...well, we've mostly stayed apart in the Academy, and only two days really with each other, so first impressions...Kakashi-kun, probably a three or four. You're mostly tolerable, but you're definitely annoying at times. Shinobu-chan...maybe a two? I just haven't made up my mind about either of you yet." Kakashi-kun snorted into his bowl, and I thought about it. That assessment...was fair, really. And...sort of...gratifying. Chihiro-chan didn't seem freaked out by me, despite everything that had happened.

"One of you take a turn," Chihiro-chan said, pointing one chopstick at each of us. My mouth was full this time, and Kakashi-kun groaned before sighing.

"I train."

"Come on, nobody can train all the time. There has to be something you like doing outside of training," Chihiro-chan told him, poking him with a chopstick. Kakashi-kun glared at her.

"I read. Different sorts of books, whatever catches my interest."

"Maybe we can give book suggestions to each other," Chihiro-chan mused.

"Maybe," Kakashi-kun admitted.

"Shinobu-chan? What about you?" Chihiro-chan asked. I hesitated, again. Did I actually want to admit anything? Maybe...I could go with something they probably already knew.

"I'm...used...to being alone," I whispered. "I...I really don't like people."

"Why?" Kakashi-kun asked, curious. I flinched. Then, I hesitantly tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, revealing my birthmarks. I could feel both Chihiro-chan and Kakashi-kun studying me, but I didn't look at them. 

"I...scare people. They...hate me. My..my birthmarks...and my eyes...I get called freak."

"But I'm not scared of you, or think you're a freak. You're shy, but that's not a problem. You pulled off some really cool things this morning. You're friends with Obito, and Rin-chan, which is awesome. Obito doesn't have many friends, so I know the ones he does have, are really good people." Chihiro-chan elbowed Kakashi-kun, and he glared at her, before sighing.

"Doesn't matter what you look like. You shouldn't be judged on what you look like, just what you can do. And you can do a lot," he added. I heard irritation in his voice...but it didn't seem to be directed at me. All of the sudden, I realized that Kakashi-kun was used to being judged too. Chihiro-chan probably was as well. There was a certain pressure about being extremely smart. Expectations were high. And...Kakashi-kun had meant what he said.

"So, will you mind hanging out with us?" Chihiro-chan asked. I considered. Hanging out with them, aside from the training we'd have to do...I had gotten used to Rin-chan and Obito-kun. Maybe...maybe I could get used to a couple more people. Especially since they weren't scared of me.

"I...I don't know. You're...ok," I admitted.

"Just don't really expect to talk much, and respect boundaries?" Chihiro-chan asked teasingly. I nodded.

"Ok. Obito mentioned something about origami note passing in class. Maybe we could do something like that."

"Origami note passing?" Kakashi-kun asked disbelievingly. Chihiro-chan shrugged.

"Yeah. Obito, Rin-chan, and Shinobu-chan sat together in class, and Obito said they passed notes. As far as I know, the chunin-sensei never noticed. They folded the paper into origami."

"Huh." Kakashi-kun looked like he wasn't too sure what to think of that, and went back to finishing his bowl. I finished my own, then Kakashi spoke again.

"What about animals?" I glanced at him, confused. He shrugged.

"Well, you said you don't like people. What about animals?" I nodded. The cats around the Uchiha compound, both ninja and stray, always came around me to be petted when I visited. Dogs liked me too, asking for pets when their owners weren't paying attention. I always obliged, and got licks in return.

"My tou-san and I visit the Inuzuka compound a lot. There's a lot of dogs there. Maybe...you'd want to visit sometime?" Kakashi-kun offered. I considered. The Inuzuka were noisy, a bit wild, but the dogs were very friendly. I wouldn't dare go on my own. But just maybe...I'd be ok going with my team. Maybe.

"Maybe," I said. Kakashi-kun smiled slightly.

"Kakashi!" We all turned at the cheerful shout, though I drew back into the corner as much as I could, and made doubly sure that my chakra signature was completely hidden. A silver haired man waved at the stand, probably more specifically at Kakashi-kun. The smile, even at the end of the street, was evident. It didn't take long for him to reach us. Dressed in a jōnin uniform, he had so much confidence.

"Hi tou-san," Kakashi-kun greeted him. I felt Chihiro-chan's chakra spike in excitement, and she was practically bouncing. What was going on? Kakashi-kun glanced back, giving Chihiro-chan an odd look. The silver haired man didn't notice the quick interaction between the two.

"Looks like you've made some friends. I'm Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father. Who might you be?"

"Chihiro Uchiha. I'm one of Kakashi-kun's new teammates," Chihiro-chan practically squeaked. Kakashi-kun gave the Uchiha girl another look. I reached out with my chakra sense, studying Hatake-san. He felt...his chakra felt like a constant buzz, lightening natured like Kakashi-kun, but calmer. Constant, and focused. But also very, very powerful. More powerful than Sensei. I considered. I had finished with lunch, I still wanted to be alone, before looking for an apartment. I made my decision. Using the same genjutsu I had earlier, I slipped out of the stall.

"Kakashi did mention he had a team. Is the third member around?" I heard Hatake-san ask as I left.

"Shinobu Katsuki. She's very shy," Kakashi-kun explained.

"Kakashi, I think that's an empty corner."

"What?" I flinched, a little guilty, but I kept moving. I took a minute to sense Training Ground Three, and sighed. Sensei was still there, with the water natured signature. Ok, so maybe looking at apartments first.

An hour later, I was very frustrated. There were plenty of open genin apartments, but the problem was, they asked for a payment on rent as soon as you moved in. It didn't seem much per month, but it was still far more than I could afford. I considered. I had looked at some in civilian districts. Maybe...ones closer to a clan district would be less expensive? Thirty minutes later, and I found out the answer was no. Same price, roughly, though more allowances for what could be done for security around the apartment. I'd have to find a way to earn money. I couldn't afford to wait on this. I sighed, and returned to Training Ground Three, no longer caring that Sensei and that water natured chakra. I stayed away from them, choosing to sit in a tree in the rigged clearing. I sat close to a trigger of one of the few remaining traps.

 **Well little one, I think that did go well. I'm proud of you.** Matatabi-san told me. I went to my mindscape, curling up next to her.

"Thank you."

 **"You're still not too sure about everything, are you,"** Matatabi-san sighed, lowering herself to the ground so I could pet her.

"No. Chihiro-chan, and Kakashi-kun...really do seem ok. And...so does Sensei. But..."

**"You've had enough for today."**

"Yes," I admitted.

 **"Hmm."** Then, I jumped as someone spoke near me.

"Hi there! I'm Kushina Uzumaki, special jōnin, and Minato's girlfriend!" I triggered the trap, then used Kawarimi to get out of there. I sensed the lightening burst go off, but curled up in my new tree, making sure to completely hide my chakra signature, scent, and using a genjutsu to hide my presence. I took several deep breaths. I had been more startled than anything else, but after today, I did not appreciate that.

"Shinobu-chan? Can you hear me? I just want to talk please. Kushina will be quieter this time." I heard Sensei calling softly after about half an hour. I had realized he was looking for me, but hadn't been sure what to do. Now though, they were much closer. The last time Sensei had wanted to talk...it hadn't been bad. I peeked around the tree trunk, dropping the genjutsu. Below, Sensei stood, in the lower branches of the tightly packed trees. A teen the same age as him, with long red hair pulled into a ponytail stood next to him, looking a bit sheepish.

"I didn't think she'd be that badly startled, ya know."

"I warned you. Shinobu-chan's very, very shy," Sensei grumbled at the teen. Then, he looked up, and spotted me. He smiled gently.

"Hi. Are you doing ok?" I hesitated, then nodded slowly. I was still a bit irritated, but I wasn't having a panic attack.

"Can we come up a bit closer?" Sensei asked, pointing at a branch only a little bit below me. I nodded again, and both Sensei and the other teen jumped up. The red haired teen smiled.

"Let's try again. I can be a bit over enthusiastic sometimes, sorry about that. I'm Kushina Uzumaki. Special jōnin of Konoha, and Minato's girlfriend."

"Shinobu Katsuki," I whispered.

"Well, it's really nice to meet you. Did Minato tell you I was bullied a lot when we were younger? People teased me for my red hair, and being an outsider," Uzumaki-san said. I blinked. An outsider?

"Kushina originally came from Uzushiogakure, before it was destroyed. A lot of people didn't accept her right away." Sensei studied me for a minute or two.

"Shinobu-chan, can I ask you something?" I nodded cautiously.

"When I talked to your chunin-sensei, he mentioned that sometimes, he was worried for you. You did well at the Academy, but he worried that you didn't have many friends. He also mentioned, that one day, you came into class with your hands bandaged. Can you tell me, just how bad the bullying has been for you?" I hesitated. I...

 **Remember what Rin-chan said about him. You know he doesn't mean harm. He might be able to help. If you ask him to not say anything, I don't think he would.** Matatabi-san told me gently. I hesitated still. How...how could I be sure? Rin-chan had suffered, when the orphanage kids realized she was ok with me. Sensei...but he was a jōnin. He...might not be as much as a risk. And Uzumaki-san...she had been bullied too. Maybe...maybe she would understand.

"I...the kids...at the orphanage...they...they always call me freak. Sometimes...they...they corner me..." I took several more breaths, vaguely registering that Sensei had taken hold of Uzimak-san's hands. 

"Is that how you mastered using Kawarimi without seals?" Sensei asked quietly. I nodded.

"And that's probably how you got so good at suppressing your signature and scent, without even trying," he continued. I nodded again.

"Didn't you tell anyone? Fight back?" Uzumaki-san asked. I shook my head.

"It...it would have made...everything so much worse." Uzumaki-san winced, while Sensei's chakra sort of...stirred. It almost felt like a storm, a very destructive, angry storm. But I think...it wasn't directed at me. When Sensei spoke, his voice was even, and calm.

"I'm guessing you were asked to move out. How long do you have?"

"Two months."

"Alright. Let us know if you need help, ok?" I looked at both of them, surprised. Both honest, and kind, and they...they were giving me space, and just...trying to help. Maybe...maybe not all people were bad. I had met some very nice people in the last year. I nodded.

"I...have to go," I whispered, noting how dark it was starting to get. Uzumaki-san and Sensei smiled.

"See you around!" Uzumaki-san told me. Then, Sensei took Uzumaki-san's hand, and disappeared. I reluctantly headed to the orphanage, pausing a few blocks away. There, I took off my hitai-ate, tucking it into my bag. If I could help it, I didn't want the others to know I had graduated. Then, I headed inside to prepare for the next day.

I was early to the training ground again, after watching my sunrise. Kakashi-kun arrived next, and gave me a bit of a look.

"You really are good at hiding. I don't know when you disappeared, and tou-san couldn't tell either. Not to mention, he wasn't sure where you went, and he's one of the best trackers in the village." I flinched, and looked down. Kakashi-kun sighed.

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Just something to notice." I still didn't say anything, but I did relax a little. Chihiro-chan arrived then, smiling.

"Morning!" 

"Tou-san has an invitation for both of you after training today. Just tea at our house," Kakashi-kun said. Chihiro-chan grinned.

"I'll have to let my parents know, but sure!"

"If you fangirl again..." Kakashi-kun warned. Chihiro-chan rolled her eyes.

"You admire him too!"

"He's my tou-san. Of course I do. But you..."

"I'm not going to suddenly ignore him, or not admire him," Chihiro-chan shot back.

"Look, just don't squeak or anything weird like that again," Kakashi-kun huffed.

"I won't. Even if you say I'm a fangirl, I'm not a crazy fangirl."

"Could have fooled me yesterday." Chihiro-chan glared at Kakashi-kun, and he glared right back. Sensei's breeze chakra appeared, and he chuckled when he saw the glaring contest.

"Good morning! Little bit of a gift, extra weapons for all of you. A ninja can never have too many weapons." Sensei handed each of us a kunai holster, a shuriken pouch, and a pack of ninja wire. I briefly checked the weapon pouches. Both of them were full. I glanced at the others, who happily put the weapons in their bags. I tucked the ninja wire in my bag, but put the pouches on. I felt a bit better wearing them, like I was actually a kunoichi. 

"Thank you," I whispered. Sensei grinned. 

"I'm still working on arranging things with others for your other lessons, but today, I want to know your current capabilities. All the jutsu you know currently. Kakashi-kun, you first." After a last glare at Chihiro-chan, Kakashi-kun stepped forward, starting with the Academy basics, before several Raiton, and his tree walking and water walking. I ended up going after Kakashi-kun. I performed all the Academy jutsu without seals, tree and water walking, then the Suiton I knew. Sensei nodded after I finished, then turned to Chihiro-chan. She knew a lot of Katon, so we all felt a bit warm when she had finished. Sensei made a few suggestions for all of us, and had us go through some of our jutsu again. Then, he asked which jutsu we were in the process of learning. It turned out we were all working on Shunshin. Sensei coached us, and I know I made progress. I think the others did too. In the late afternoon, Sensei smiled, and whistled, signaling us to stop.

"You all knew a lot of jutsu, and knew them well. That gives us a base to work off of, so that's good. But since it's late afternoon, and we've been working hard, you're dismissed. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Come on! It won't take long to check with my parents!" Chihiro-chan said cheerfully, already bounding in the direction of the Uchiha clan district. Kakashi-kun looked back.

"Shinobu-chan, are you going to come?" I hesitated. I had some time, and today had been quieter. I nodded, then followed Kakashi-kun as he followed Chihiro-chan. Chihiro-chan led us to a large house a decent ways inside the district, and darted inside while Kakashi-kun and I waited on the porch. I glanced around. It was pretty close to the center of the district. How senior was Chihiro-chan's family? After barely a minute inside, Chihiro reappeared, grinning.

"I'm good. Let's go!" Kakashi-kun led the way once we were out of the Uchiha district, going halfway across the village to the Hatake clan district. This district, was much smaller than the Uchiha compound, and most of the houses looked emptier. I couldn't really sense anyone around, with the except of one signature further inside. How lonely, was Kakashi-kun or his tou-san, if they were the only ones left? Kakashi-kun continued on to the house in the center of the district, and opened the door.

"Tou-san! Tadaima!" Hatake-san appeared from further inside the house as we all took off our sandals.

"Okaeri Kakashi! Hello Chihiro-chan. And you must be Shinobu-chan. It's nice to meet you. Come inside! I have snacks ready, and the tea will be ready soon."

I sat with my back against a wall in the living room, while Chihiro-chan and Kakashi-kun sat around the tea table. After just a few minutes, Hatake-san reappeared, tea tray balanced in one hand, a plate full of mochi in the other. He set both on the table, and poured tea, before setting a cup and a plate with a few balls of mochi on the floor closer to me. I blinked, and looked at him. He just nodded, then poured a cup for himself. I hesitated, then took the cup. The tea smelled good, a light green tea. Kakashi-kun slowly relaxed, though he occasionally shot looks at Chihiro-chan. She rolled her eyes, but didn't squeak, or bounce. As we sipped tea, Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan told Hatake-san about what had happened during the previous three days. Hatake-san listened intently, only interrupting occasionally with a quick question. He did ask as few more questions when it came to our performance on the bell test, and today's practice, but he seemed as pleased as Sensei about the results.

"I think Minato will make a good sensei for you all. He's pretty well rounded himself, so you'll be able to learn a lot. Any specialties you want to learn?" Hatake-san mused.

"We'd all kind of like to learn a bit of everything," Chihiro-chan said. Hatake-san eyed her thoughtfully.

"Minato had mentioned something about kenjutsu lessons. Are you sure?"

"Tou-san taught me. He's strict." Kakashi-kun warned Chihiro-chan and I. Hatake-san grinned, and poked Kakashi-kun's hitai-ate.

"I am. But discipline is a good thing to have. In any case, I'd be happy to teach you two, in addition to continuing to improve Kakashi's techniques."

"You would? Thank you!" Chihiro-chan said happily. Hatake-san glanced at me, smiling a bit when he saw the empty plate and empty teacup stacked neatly.

"I...I'd like to learn," I said quietly.

"Great! Then I'll talk to Minato soon," Hatake-san promised. Chihiro-chan looked at the long shadows the sun made through the windows, and sighed.

"I have to get home." I stood, and put my teacup on the table.

"Thank you," I whispered. Hatake-san smiled. He and Kakashi-kun walked with Chihiro-chan and I to the door, and waved goodbye. I gave a small nod to Chihiro-chan, then took off. It had been a lot of social interaction for the day again, but...it hadn't been bad. Everyone had given me space so far...and didn't seem scared, or unnerved. They had been so kind, offered help. I...might be able to get used to this.


	7. Chapter 6: Run Boy Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Different POV. Self reflection

Minato Namikaze 

I paced, absently avoiding the usual mess of scrolls, ink, paper, and other fuinjutsu supplies, and the various boxes scattered around the apartment. I just wish I knew what to do! I wanted to care for my team, to train them hard so they'd be prepared for the world. But I also wanted them to get as much experience as possible, which meant more missions. So far, the balance of a training day, followed by two mission days, then switching back to training, seemed to be working. Kakashi, Chihiro, and Shinobu soaked up everything like sponges. It that sense, it was easy to teach them. They were all so mature and intelligent for their ages, and they progress was amazing. I smiled. I really did love teaching my genin. But missions had been hard in another way.

Most civilians, and even some shinobi had been more reluctant to have my team completing the mission. They didn't have a problem with Kakashi. As the son of the White Fang, and with how quickly Kakashi had graduated, most people complimented him, to the point of fawning on him. He hated the attention, which had made him fairly grumpy. As I was learning, Kakashi admired his father as much as anyone else in the village. But he didn't like the heavy expectations people placed on him. The villagers didn't have a problem with Chihiro either. In fact, most people seemed relieved that she wasn't the usual, broody Uchiha. A smiling, sociable Uchiha was a nice change, if an odd one. She might have gotten a few looks, but it didn't bother her. No, the problem people were having, was with Shinobu. I didn't get it at all! Shinobu was extremely shy, and was afraid of most people. But she didn't bother anyone, and seemed more keen to avoid any sort of confrontation. But I had heard the whispers. People were too unnerved by her eyes, and her birthmarks, which marked her as an outsider in their eyes. Yet, she had grown up inside the village. It reminded me far too much of my own Academy days, and the difficulty Kushina had with so many people. She fought back though, and gained respect through that, her clever pranks, and her abilities with her team. Shinobu though... My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and Kushina came in.

"Minato?" she called. I came from the living room, gave her a smile, then embraced her.

"Kushina! How was dinner?" Kushina grinned.

"Great! Tsume and Mikoto are doing great, and it's always wonderful to get the team together! Sakumo-sensei couldn't join us tonight, since he's on mission. Tsume said Kakashi was staying over at her house."

"Ramen, or someplace else?" I asked. Kushina pouted.

"Sadly, no ramen. We went to an Akimichi barbecue restaurant." I laughed. I know Kushina preferred ramen, but the Akimichi restaurants were still very, very good. Kushina poked me, hard, then headed into the kitchen. She stopped, then rounded on me, a serious look on her face. I stopped, watching her nervously.

"You haven't eaten your dinner. What's wrong pretty boy?" I sputtered.

"Kushina! Will you stop calling me that?"

"Why? You are very pretty for a boy. I think it fits." I groaned, and sat at the table. When Kushina decided on something, there was no stopping her.

"Seriously Minato, what's wrong? It's not like you to skip out on my cooking, ya know."

"I've been thinking about my team." I admitted.

"They're not getting on your nerves too much, are they?"

"No." Kushina took in my expression, then turned to my uneaten plate, working to warm the food up. It didn't take long, and she joined me at the table.

"Talk me through it. What are you thinking?" she asked gently. I ate a few bites of food, ruefully realizing how hungry I was. Maybe it was better to go from the beginning.

"Kakashi-kun's honestly what I expected. Sakumo-senpai taught him so well, and Kakashi-kun's easily a prodigy, if not a full on genius. His abilities can make him arrogant, and he looks down on others who don't pick up on things as fast. He doesn't have the best social instincts."

"That's not surprising. A lot of intelligent children struggle getting along with others. He didn't get along much with other children when I took him around the village. Oh, and remember how difficult Fugaku, Hiashi, and Hizashi were when we were all at the Academy?" I snorted. My friends had honestly been terrible around civilians, and even some of their branch clanmates. To a large extent, they still were.

"Don't get me started. Shikaku's not much better, except it's not clan expectations. He's just lazy." Kushina shrugged.

"He is a Nara. But he's more ambitious than a lot of his clan." I thought about that. Shikaku had reached jōnin about the same time I did, and had a lot of missions under his belt. He just hadn't taught anyone yet. In my age group, I think I was the first to get a genin team. It was only a matter of time.

"True. Anyway, Kakashi-kun's mostly what I expected. And when I talked with Sakumo-senpai, he advised to try to get Kakashi-kun to slow down occasionally, act his age sometimes. That, Chihiro-chan takes care of."

"Is that why you let their arguments and tussles go on?"

"Yes. Chihiro-chan calls Kakashi-kun out on his behavior, she doesn't care if he gets irritated. Sometimes, their arguments are so petty it's hilarious. Just yesterday, she was calling Kakashi-kun a baby for acting too much like an adult."

"What?" I shrugged. It hadn't made much sense at the time either. It still didn't make much sense.

"We had finished up with our missions and training, and...I don't know what brought it on. But all the sudden, Chihiro-chan asked if I could carry her. She looked tired, so I didn't mind. Kakashi-kun..."

"Voiced his displeasure?" Kushina guessed. I shrugged, and smiled. Kushina knew Kakashi enough from babysitting him to predict what he would do.

"Pretty much. Anyway, Chihiro-chan launched from my shoulder to tackle him to the ground, and called him a baby. Shinobu-chan was watching this, then very quietly asked me if I would carry her. I did, which got Chihiro-chan to laugh. She climbed back up to my other shoulder, and Kakashi-kun held my hand." Kushina burst out laughing, and I finished my dinner.

"Aww."

"It also got Shinobu-chan to smile." I added. Kushina grinned.

"Even better!"

"Chihiro-chan evens Kakashi-kun out, in terms of personality. Though..."

"What?"

"Sometimes, when she's interacting with myself or Kakashi-kun, she has this...haunted look in her eyes. I don't know why. I'm worried sometimes, with how tired she looks when she comes to training."

"Nightmares." Kushina guessed. I nodded. Chihiro had mentioned it offhandedly when I asked.

"But of what? Her parents are prominent clan members, as far as I know, she hasn't encountered anything horrific. I don't know."

"I really like what I've heard about her. She's not the typical Uchiha, she smiles, and socializes, and she wants to make friends, even if she is blunt at times." Kushina mused.

"You get some of that gossip from Mikoto?" I asked. Kushina smiled a bit sheepishly, and shrugged.

"She's had some amusing stories about her niece. Chihiro-chan looks after one of her cousins, Obito-kun, and got into a discussion with Mikoto on how the orphans in the clan are treated. Obito-kun's been bullied, but that's stopped for the most part. She also helps Obito-kun when he helps other clan members out. She's really got a protective streak."

"I know. When she and Kakashi-kun figured out that Shinobu-chan had gotten bullied, she was so angry." I shivered slightly. The killing intent leaking from her in that moment, had been much stronger than I would have though a genin was capable of. I had started the entire team training in it after that.

"And there, is your main concern. Shinobu-chan." Kushina said softly. I nodded. Kushina really had hit it on the head. 

"You've seen how timid she is. You heard how she was bullied. It's pretty clear she's seen as an outsider, even though she grew up here."

"I'm worried too, ya know. I don't think she told us the entire story of her experiences at the orphanage."

"She didn't." I agreed. Kushina looked at me sharply.

"Did you talk to her friend from the orphanage?"

"I did. Rin-chan is a very nice girl, and I'm so glad Shinobu-chan had a friend there. She got called names, the gossip was awful. There was an incident where she got hurt more than a tussle. Rin-chan still didn't get me specifics, but I do know Shinobu-chan's desperate to avoid the orphanage because of it. Apparently, Yakushi-san hasn't been very helpful in stopping the bullying."

"What? But she seemed so kind to everyone in the Academy." I sighed.

"Rin-chan said something about Yakushi-san believing that if Shinobu-chan would spend time with the others and make friends, the bullying would stop."

"Which disregards the fact that the entire reason Shinobu-chan avoids others is because she gets scorned." Kushina said, her own anger building.

"Exactly. I haven't talked to Yakushi-san about any of this yet." I said. I fully planned to though. Kushina saw my expression, and shook her head.

"Don't. Not yet."

"Why not? This really is an issue that should be addressed. Shinobu-chan can't be the only one that's bullied in the orphanage."

"I think, since Shinobu-chan is still staying there, if you talked to Yakushi-san, Shinobu-chan would be treated even more horribly." I scowled.

"Because she talked to someone. That's..."

"Horrible. I know." I let my head drop into my hands, and groaned.

"I don't know what to do. Shinobu-chan gets along with Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan alright, she is relaxing, but it's so slow going. And I want to help her earn enough to get an apartment, but I still have to train the team."

"How long now until she has to move out?"

"Three weeks." I was keeping very careful track of that deadline.

"If she can't find a place by then...maybe she can come live with us for a bit." Kushina suggested. I sat back, mind racing. Shinobu did seem alright with Kushina and I, we had room, though we were still unpacking from our own move.

"I wouldn't mind inviting her to live with us. Though the Hatake compound is pretty quiet. Would Sakumo-senpai enjoy having someone else in the compound?"

"He would, but he's also gone on missions a lot. And Shinobu-chan's not as comfortable with him yet. Or me, for that matter, ya know." I thought about that. Shinobu did alright with Sakumo so far. She had enjoyed her kenjutsu lessons quite a bit, as had Chihiro. I also thought about what Kushina had told me, and Shinobu's interactions with my girlfriend so far.

"She likes you more than you think. You might be unpredictable, and enthusiastic, but you already made a connection with her. Didn't she talk with you more last week?" I asked. Kushina grinned, her expression fond.

"She did. And she wasn't quite as hesitant either. I had asked if she wanted to come shopping with me, and she said she wouldn't mind. I was buying food, and a bit of extra mission gear, and asked if she wanted anything. She hesitated, but did ask if it was ok to ask for senbon. I bought her a holster, and a mesh shirt. She was more relaxed than the first few times we talked."

"Well, I'll ask her about it before the end of the three weeks, if she hasn't found an apartment yet." I decided. Kushina's smile was all that I needed to know that I had made a good decision. Now, we just had to be patient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, I'll be switching up the POV. It's always fun to explore what other characters think.


	8. Chapter 7: Holding Out for a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training, and team dinner.

Chihiro Uchiha 

I woke, panting from yet another dream. This one at least, had been familiar and not all that alarming. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin had been put through the bell test, and passed. That had been the reality, in another universe. This...in this version of the Naruto world, reality was something else entirely.

I rolled over to look at my clock, and groaned. Four in the morning, again. At least it wasn't three this time. I took a breath, then shifted into a meditation pose. Reaching for the wooden worry beads I always kept close, I thought about the dream. It had been weeks since Kakashi, Shinobu, and I had passed our bell test, yet this dream kept happening. I didn't know what it meant. I could just be dwelling on how much things had changed already. That would be the obvious explanation, but I was hesitant to go with that one. In a world as crazy as this one, with the chakra that could be manipulated to do insane things, there were a lot more possibilities. I couldn't rule out that the dreams, the visions, had another meaning. Especially since I had visions that weren't related to my foreknowledge at all. I sighed, and ran the worry beads through my fingers. Playing with them helped, and made less noise than the bells Sensei had gotten me. My thoughts turned to my team.

Sensei, was pretty much what I had expected. Very nice, and patient, even when he occasionally broke up arguments between myself and Kakashi. Kakashi was also pretty much what I had expected, except...less so. He wasn't quite as arrogant, as I had thought he would be, and not as much as a stickler for rules. In many cases though, he was still a jerk. It was still difficult to get him to actually act his age, but our arguments helped. Goading him was actually pretty easy. Shinobu...was a bit of an unknown. Or a lot of one, I guess. I didn't know her from my foreknowledge, at all, but I still had this sense of deja vu around her. Aside from that, it was hard, no, almost impossible, to get her drawn into the antics Kakashi and I got into. I didn't feel sorry for her, exactly. I knew she was an orphan, and that she had been bullied, which occasionally triggered panic attacks. Obito had told me that much. I felt for her, with how much she had been through. I just wish I knew why I felt such a strong sense of deja vu. I sighed.

Having foreknowledge could really, really suck. It meant visions, confusion, preconceived ideas, and massive headaches while I tried to figure it all out. On the other hand, I knew I had retained my memories for some reason. I was here, as a person, for a reason. I didn't, I couldn't view myself as an extra, not when I had friends and family. And because of them, I wasn't going to stand by and simply let things happen. I wanted to change things so that fewer people had to suffer. I sighed again, then looked at my clock. Still too early to get moving, and with as little sleep as I got, I really hated early mornings. But I decided to visit Rin and Obito before training today. It would probably help. I lay back down again, worry beads clutched in one hand. With any luck, I could get a bit more sleep. Thankfully, no more visions occurred, and the next time I looked at my alarm clock, it was twenty minutes before six. I stretched, dressed, got my bag, and wandered down to the kitchen. Mom looked around as I entered.

"Chihiro, you look so tired. Dreams again?" I yawned as I slid into a seat at the table.

"Yep." Mom sighed, and gave the pot on the stove another stir, before wiping her hands, and coming to stand behind me. She started stroking my hair. I leaned back into her touch with a happy sigh.

"I wish things were easier for you." Mom said after a few minutes. I shrugged.

"I managed to fall back to sleep, and that's been happening a lot more often. I don't have dreams every night anymore. And the meditation really helps."

"Oh good. I wasn't sure if it would. I can braid your hair this morning, if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you stay still, I'll do it while you're eating." I grinned, and accepted the bowl of rice porridge Mom handed me. Braiding my hair didn't take as long as it used to, since I had asked for a haircut shortly after the bell test.

"Thanks Mom. I'm going to see Obito and Rin-chan before training!" I said, tugging on my sandals.

"Have fun! Don't forget to ask your team to dinner!"

"I won't!" I promised, before stepping onto the porch and closing the door. Then, I took off in the direction of Obito's apartment. The quiet streets were kind of weird, but the bakeries had started working on making various treats, so the air smelled awesome. Pity they weren't open quite yet. Maybe I'd get a quick snack before visiting Rin. It didn't take me too long to arrive at Obito's apartment, despite that he was practically on the outskirts of the compound. I really, really hated how he was treated. Clans were supposed to support each other, not outcast each other! Aunt Mikoto agreed with me, and was looking into how to restructure a few things. But in the meantime, I spent as much time as I could with Obito, and invited him over to dinner when I could. Mom never minded.

Once I reached Obito's apartment, I climbed up to his window, and knocked on the frame. I heard shifting inside, and sensed his sleepy chakra perk up a bit. After a minute or so, his head poked out of the window, his hair a spikier mess than usual. He blinked a few times at me, then brightened.

"Oh hey Chihiro! What time is it?"

"About fifteen minutes after six."

"Oh, ok. Come in."

"Thanks." I said, hopping inside. I sat in my usual chair while Obito made his bed, and started getting his breakfast. As usual, I admired the photos he pinned up. One of these days, I was going to buy him frames. But for now, they turned a blank wall into a collage. A small photo had his parents. I knew that Obito didn't remember them, but I guessed one of the clan caretakers had found the photo for him. Him and Rin, soon after they started at the Academy. A few pictures with him, and me. One with my parents included, one in a park just hanging out. A picture with himself, Rin, and Shinobu at New Year's. That one, I hadn't seen before.

"You actually got Shinobu-chan to take a picture with you and Rin-chan?" I asked. Obito glanced up, and smiled.

"It took a bit of convincing, but yeah. I don't think I've ever seen Shinobu-chan so happy, before or since then. But I like all of the photos with you too!"

"I'm not jealous or anything like that. I just like all the photos. This one is really cool." I studied the other photo I hadn't seen before. This one, it was Obito and I grinning like idiots, me sporting my brand new hitai-ate.

"You know I still think it's awesome you made genin so soon." Obito told me, after sitting across from me, a melonpan in front of him. I smiled.

"Thanks. You just appreciate that I did it, and that you're still willing to be my friend. The rest of the clan is thinking how they can use me. Well, my parents don't, and Aunt Mikoto doesn't. But Fugaku-sama, and the others..." I frowned thoughtfully. "Actually, I don't know if Fugaku-sama really thinks that. He likes having the clan strong, but with my age...I don't know."

"Well he hasn't married Mikoto-sama yet, right? And Kazou-sama said that Mikoto-sama would be Clan Head, right? She's eldest of his kids. So her opinion matters more than Fugaku-sama's." Obito checked. I nodded, a little absently. 

"Yes, but since Fugaku-sama will marry Aunt Mikoto, and he's a strong ninja, he still has important opinions. Still, the only pressure I've really gotten is from some of the clan elders. Aunt Mikoto and Kazou-sama told them off though."

"That's a good thing! You'll be great! I...I don't know if I will be though." 

"What do you mean? Are the others still being a nuisance?" I asked, a note of anger creeping into my voice. Obito shook his head. 

"No, they're not. I'm still struggling with a few clan jutsu. There's a lot of people who look down on me for that."

"Has working with me helped?" I asked. I wanted to help Obito in any case. He was my cousin, and such a sweet person. But I also hoped that if Obito could get stronger, that might prevent him from being crushed by rocks. Tobi...well, I really didn't want Tobi hanging around. Not just in general, but the thought that my sweet, if a little clumsy cousin could become such a cold hearted person made me feel sick. Maybe, just maybe, Obito having more skills would help with all that. We had discovered that Obito learned better by movement, and real life applications. He was getting better, but bridging the Academy and real life wasn't easy.

"Totally! But not everyone can be a genius, and I'm not one for books." Obito admitted. I shrugged.

"Fair enough. I'm going to check on Rin-chan today before training."

"Oh, tell her I might be late! We were going to do our own training today, but I also promised to help one of the older ladies with her shopping today."

"I will. Good luck and have fun!" I told him. Obito grinned.

"See you!" I hopped out of Obito's window, then as soon as I was out of the Uchiha District, jumped to the roofs. It was just so much faster that way, and good exercise. From above, I could easily spot Rin as the brown haired girl left the orphanage. I jumped back down to street level, and waved.

"Hey Rin-chan!" Rin waved back, but waited until she was closer to me so she didn't have to shout.

"Chihiro-chan! It's good to see you. But doesn't training for you start soon? I wouldn't want you to be late."

"It does, but I still have time, so I came to say hi." Rin smiled.

"That's nice. How is training going?"

"Really well. I'm learning a lot, and my teammates and I are getting better at working together all the time. The orphanage has been alright?" I asked. Rin sighed.

"It's the usual. Though...last night wasn't pretty. A few of the older kids figured out Shinobu-chan's a genin. The shouting was awful, and...Shinobu-chan just took it. She's not allowed to use any jutsu, and she's not allowed to be in her room during breaks, even though she's not an Academy student anymore. The others take advantage of that."

"Did she get hurt?" I asked warily. Rin nodded. 

"Bruises. A bit worse than the usual if they catch her." I scowled. This was so ridiculous! I hated bullies, especially when I couldn't do anything! Shinobu had asked that I didn't report anything, and I hadn't, even if Dad had figured things out. But he had agreed not to bring anything up. We just couldn't risk anything worse happening.

"Well, I'm planning on inviting the team over for dinner. Will she get in trouble for getting back after dark?"

"No. That much, Yakushi-san allows her, because of training. As long as she gets in before nine, she'll be ok. I just...Yakushi-san heals her a little, and Shinobu-chan heals fast but I wish I could help more! I stay by her, I help her stand up to her tormentors, but it never feels like enough!" Rin cried. 

"What if you learned medical ninjutsu? You've got awesome chakra control already, and the hospital accepts younger volunteers." I suggested. Rin perked up.

"Really?" I nodded. 

"Yep. My mom's well connected, and she works at the hospital, so just let me know if you want her help." Rin's entire face lit up when she smiled. 

"Oh, thank you! I'll think about it, and I promise to let you know!"

"No problem. Oh, and I stopped by Obito's apartment. He said he might be late. Helping people out with groceries this morning." I told Rin. She smiled, and nodded.

"That's fine. He knows where to meet me. I can practice water walking on my own."

"I've got to go. See you later!" I raced to the training ground, to find Shinobu there, curled up in a tree. She was always early, but I was a bit earlier this morning too. I couldn't see any bruises, but then, she was wearing long sleeves.

"Shinobu-chan?" I asked, coming to stand under the tree. I got a nod in greeting, but I hadn't seen her quite so curled up in a while.

"Shinobu-chan, are you alright?" I asked gently. Shinobu flinched. That was all I needed to know she wasn't ok.

"I talked to Rin-chan. She said last night was hard for you. I'm here for you, ok?" Shinobu took a breath, and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Want me to help?" Shinobu considered, then jumped down carefully. She sat on the roots, and I sat next to her, still giving her a bit of room. She hesitated, and I made hand seals for Shōsen. I waited patiently, my hands glowing green. Shinobu took a breath, and pushed up her sleeves. Black and blue bruises were all over her arms, and I held in my anger as I worked on healing them. I knew by now, that if I didn't, Shinobu-chan might run, and I didn't want her to do that. Not when she was hurting. I sensed Kakashi arriving, but stayed focused.

"Anywhere else?" I asked quietly. Shinobu hesitated, then pressed a hand to her stomach. I waited until she nodded, and pulled up her shirt. Another nasty bruise was there, and when I gently touched it, she flinched. I pulled back as she winced in pain. 

"Sorry. Bruised ribs." she whispered. Kakashi hissed.

"Who keeps hurting you?" he asked. Shinobu shook her head as I worked on the bruise. I couldn't fix her ribs, I didn't have enough chakra. But I could at least lessen the pain.

"You...you can't do anything about it." Kakashi and I exchanged a quick look. We couldn't really do anything about it, no. But when Shinobu was around us, we could at least protect her then. I finished, and Shinobu pulled her shirt back down.

"Anywhere else? I can't do much about the ribs. I just lessened the pain." Shinobu shook her head.

"Thank you." she whispered. Sensei appeared, and smiled.

"Morning everyone! Pairs training this morning, then we're headed to the hospital for your medical lesson. After that, we might have enough time for a D-rank. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, against Shinobu-chan." We squared up, waiting for Sensei to call start. He hadn't put any limits on today's training, which meant we could use whatever we wanted. By silent agreement though, Kakashi and I were not going to be aiming any taijutsu strikes towards Shinobu's stomach and chest. As soon as Sensei called time, I released a fire jutsu, while Kakashi threw shuriken. Neither of us waited to see the results, instead rushing forward. We had learned early on that Shinobu was fast, faster than either of us, even when she didn't use chakra enhancements. She had dodged our first attacks, and now deflected our taijutsu. Then, Kakashi landed a solid hit. Instantly, Kakashi and I got soaked.

"A water clone? Since when could she do that?" I asked, shaking water out of my eyes.

"Where'd she go?" Kakashi asked me.

"Um...two hundred feet, left." Both of us headed that way, and found Shinobu waiting at the forest edge. We attacked again. Shinobu kept dodging, then a kunai strike from me only got us wet again.

"Another clone?" I asked, a bit indignantly. I hadn't started learning to make clones with my element yet, it wasn't something the clan taught. Kakashi growled, then glanced at me. I nodded, and we bolted into the forest, splitting up to come at Shinobu from different sides. This time, we succeeded in finding the real Shinobu. I wondered, briefly, if she felt like suppressing her signature and scent was cheating. Then again, probably not. Cheating was a core part of being a ninja, and she knew exactly when she wanted to be noticed. We hadn't managed to surprise her. Whatever tracking ability she had could be really annoying whenever we tried to get around it. I knew I could be nearly as irritating with my own chakra sense, and Kakashi's nose could be irritating too, but at the moment, it wasn't my chakra sense, or Kakashi's nose that we were fighting against.

A combination of genjutsu and ninjutsu later, we were all reeling back slightly. I launched shuriken laced with fire, just as Kakashi did the same with his lightening chakra. Shinobu slid out of the way, throwing her own kunai. I felt a slight pain on my leg as one of them nicked me, but it had also looked like one of the shuriken had hit Shinobu. Sensei whistled then, and Kakashi and I looked up to see him lounging on a branch looking pleased. Shinobu appeared next to him after a moment. I did spot a small cut and burn on Shinobu's cheek, but she was already pulling out first aid supplies to take care of it.

"You're all getting much better. Shinobu-chan, great work on using techniques they hadn't seen before. Your form still needs a bit of work, but that was very good. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, you're much better at working in sync. You didn't have to discuss your attacks, you didn't get in each other's way, and you adapted as you went. Ten minute break, then Kakashi-kun and Shinobu-chan against Chihiro-chan." I thought rapidly as we rested. Kakashi and Shinobu were faster than I was, and they were developing a knack for being able to attack or defend from any position. I hadn't learned any new jutsu, but I had perfected a few others. And I had an idea about the problem with Shinobu's and Kakashi's tracking. I'd see if it would actually work.

"Everyone ready? Start then." Immediately, both Shinobu and Kakashi disappeared. I groaned, then headed into the forest. Likely, my teammates wanted to set up an ambush, probably in a spot where it would be difficult to use some of my best jutsu. I cast out with my own senses, finding Kakashi's crackling signature, then the faint ripple, like a pebble dropped into a pond that was Shinobi's. In a small gap between the trees alright, a perfect place for a trap. I concentrated on my own chakra, spreading it out over as much area as I could. Then, it was time to see what the others were up to. I stayed as silent as I could, and upwind as well. That should help me.

When I reached the area, there were one or two traps that I could detect, but I didn't see anything. Yet the chakra signatures were still there. No genjutsu that I could detect, so where were they? Something hit me in the back, sending me tumbling to the forest floor. I just managed to land on my feet, and sent shuriken and kunai in all directions. No cries of pain, just solid thunks of blades hitting wood. Crap. Still sensed the signatures, but I was starting to suspect my teammates had tricked me. A closer inspection of the branch I had landed on revealed a well concealed wire that had pulled another branch to where I had crouched. I heard a slight noise nearby, and then it was raining. Except, the rain wasn't wet, and it was...gold? I took stock back on the ground, and found that I was entirely covered in gold glitter. What the heck? A prank, in the middle of training? Or something left over from a different team using our usual training ground? I didn't know, and at the moment, I didn't care. Even more frustrating, when I went directly to the chakra signatures, no one was there.

So, how to get the apparently two sneakiest people in the world? I thought for a few minutes before a possible plan formed. I started going around the forest, setting my own traps, making sure they were as concealed as they could be. That could be a problem later on, but for now, it would possibly give me an edge. Shinobu dropped suddenly from a higher branch, keeping her footing easily on the branches. We fought, darting in and out with both taijutsu and weapons, using the trees as both cover and platforms to spring off of. A ball of lightening shot between us, I reeled back, and then was swinging upside down. Crap. Sensei's whistle sounded, and this time he was right below me, while the other two were in the branches above. Sensei looked at me in slight confusion.

"Chihiro-chan, how...how are you covered in glitter?"

"I don't know." Sensei shook his head, then turned his attention to the other two as I cut myself down.

"Excellent job you two. You knew your opponent well enough to be able to force her into a corner, and forcing a fight on your terms only. No discussion needed either. Chihiro-chan, you anticipated what your opponents would do, and did your best to counteract them. You got yourself out of traps, even if you did get fully caught in one later. I recommend Kawarimi, next time that happens. But well done. Oh, Kakashi-kun, be a little quicker with the trap trigger next time. You nearly missed your opportunity, and risked hitting one of your teammates."

"Yes Sensei."

"Right. Another ten minute break, then Shinobu-chan and Chihiro-chan against Kakashi-kun." I thought again as we rested. With both myself and Shinobu having tracking abilities, theoretically, it should be easy. On the other hand, Shinobu and Kakashi's chakra had been completely falsified last round. That, could be a problem. Plus, Kakashi's kenjutsu skills were much better than mine or Shinobu's, even though Sakumo said we learned quickly. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. It was still hard to believe I was being taught by the White Fang! Though he was strict, like Kakashi had warned. It was still so cool though, and I enjoyed every lesson. Anyway, add Kakashi's kenjutsu to his skill with everything else...I sighed, then blinked. Kakashi's chakra was starting to run low, but mine and Shinobu's were ok. Yeah, I didn't have as much due to healing Shinobu earlier, but I had been cautious about jutsu use. Shinobu had used a decent amount of jutsu too, but we both had massive reserves for our age. Maybe if we could force Kakashi to wear out his sooner...Sensei looked at all of us.

"Ready?"

"Ready." I replied, getting to my feet. The other two stood as well, ready for just about anything. Sensei grinned.

"Start!" Kakashi threw shuriken at us, and I retaliated by throwing kunai to deflect them. Shinobu deflected the second wave, and we rushed in. I went high, Shinobu went low. I kept to taijutsu, but Shinobu used a kunai in each hand. Huh. I hadn't started learning how to wield a kunai in each hand yet. Not a bad idea. Kakashi backed up swiftly, and there were more of him. Crap. I readied myself, but froze as a kunai whizzed past my ear. Why had Shinobu risked such a close throw? The answer became clear a second later, when the clone disappeared with a crackle of energy. I swallowed hard. Apparently, Kakashi had some new techniques too. I had been so focused on him that I hadn't paid attention to my chakra sense. If I had, it probably would have told me that the clones were nature infused. I realized I hadn't paid much attention to my chakra sense against Shinobu's clones other. I needed to stop doing that. Shinobi threw more kunai, and I joined her. In the blaze of lightening released, we escaped into the forest.

This time, I paid attention to my chakra sense, and it told me that Kakashi was not happy. It also told me that Kakashi's chakra was a lot lower. I glanced at Shinobu, and she nodded. We split up, and I headed to a spot where I had laid a trap previously. I hid my chakra somewhat, not wanting Kakashi to be too suspicious. I wanted him to follow me. Happily, he did. Though when he arrived, I stared. He was now covered in gold glitter like me. I still hadn't managed to get any of it off of myself. No wonder he had such a large scowl on his face. He nearly stepped into my trap, but dodged at the last second. Crap. I engaged, starting with a fire jutsu, which he dodged. He had a bokken, which he hadn't used previously, but now, he unsheathed. I sighed, and got a kunai. The skill gap was big, but I wasn't going to be beaten without a fight. I struck, channeling chakra to my kunai to add flames. Kakashi only realized this after a near miss, and started being a little more cautious. Good.

I sensed the slight whisper of Shinobu's chakra then, almost completely hidden. It was close, but so masked, Kakashi wouldn't sense it. Or her scent, for that matter. Just to be on the safe side though, she was upwind. Kakashi's nose really was the best I had ever seen, but I also hadn't interacted with the Inuzuka much. Might need to test that theory later. I smiled, even as I blocked another stroke. We really did learn a lot during training sessions, which was sort of the whole point. An added advantage to me, was that my visions had gaps. I knew almost nothing about what Kakashi had been like before Sakumo died. Of course, as far as I knew, Kakashi didn't have a genin team at age five either. I dodged, and stepped off a tree branch, falling gracefully to the ground. Kakashi followed, and at the last second, I used Kawarimi, switching myself with a tree branch to get back into the trees. Kakashi landed on the ground, then, was too late to avoid the net. It swung him up into the trees, then he was standing on the ground again. Crap. His reflexes were just so good. But not good enough to react well against Shinobu's clones, especially not when I attacked again. Pressed, he let loose another jutsu, the ball of lightening I had seen previously. It collided with a clone, that went reeling. I dodged away, just in case the clone was a water clone. I did not want to get shocked. Kakashi's chakra was just about depleted, and he knew it, from the deeper scowl on his face. Shinobu dropped from the trees, kunai at the ready. I readied a jutsu, and Kakashi sighed. We heard Sensei's whistle right after he appeared at the edge of the clearing. Sensei paused, and stared at Kakashi. Kakashi glared at him, but with the gold glitter covering him, it wasn't very effective.

"Alright, how did you get covered in glitter Kakashi-kun?"

"I don't know. It just happened." Kakashi grumbled. Sensei's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he looked in Shinobu's direction. I glanced her way, then my jaw dropped open. Shinobu was smiling slightly, and her eyes, in clear view for once, sparkled.

"Shinobu-chan, did Kushina happen to provide you with a few ideas for training today?" Sensei asked. Shinobu didn't speak, but her smile grew wider. She looked so mischievous, and Sensei burst out laughing. I stared at Shinobu. Did she seriously just prank Kakashi and I? And had she seriously met Kushina already? I couldn't figure out if I was jealous, or sorry for Shinobu. Kushina, according to my foreknowledge, was a handful.

"And you did it so carefully, that they had no idea what hit them! Oh, Kushina's going to be so happy when she hears about this!" Sensei chortled. 

"Nice." I admitted. "But why didn't you prank Rin-chan or Obito?"

"I did. During training sometimes. They'd get wet." Shinobu explained. Sensei laughed even harder, and Kakashi sighed.

"Any way to get the glitter off?" he asked. A slight note of annoyance, but I think respect too. Even Kakashi had to admit the prank had been well done. Shinobu nodded.

"Let chakra run on the surface of your skin." I did as Shinobu said, and was pleased when the glitter fell off. I still had glitter in my hair, but that was better than being completely covered. Shinobu placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, doing it for him since he was so low on chakra. He still had glitter in his hair too, but he seemed somewhat resigned to that. At least, before with another puff of chakra, Shinobu cleared his hair too.

"I haven't figured out how to channel chakra through my hair yet. Can you do that for me too?" I asked. Shinobu nodded, and soon, all the glitter was off. Sensei finally stopped laughing, and took a few breaths to get enough air.

"Alright, that's probably enough for the pairs work. Kakashi-kun, good job. You had new techniques, and you avoided most traps. Be a little more mindful of your chakra. You really shouldn't have used that lightening ball with it so well. Oh, do you have a name for that yet?"

"No Sensei. It was just a trick." Kakashi said.

"It still discharges lightening, and it moves fast. Work on it, and name it."

"Yes Sensei."

"Next time when your chakra is that low, either use simpler techniques, or buy time." Sensei finished. 

"Buying time doesn't do much if you're up against two trackers." Kakashi grumbled.

"True. Even against one tracker, it can be difficult. Oh, Shinobu-chan, what kind of tracking do you have?"

"Chakra sensing." Sensei only nodded. Well, that answered a few things. I wondered how large her range was, and how precise she was.

"Chihiro-chan, your passive chakra sense is getting better. But be more mindful of your surroundings."

"I will Sensei."

"All of you did well, your teamwork is getting much better, and your techniques are getting better. To be able to coordinate without talking is a great accomplishment. Now, we'll rest a bit longer, then head to your medical lesson." I was grateful for the longer rest. Even with my reserves, I was still just a kid. I still got worn out quickly. After about an hour, we headed to our medical lesson.

Medical lessons were just as exhausting as physical training, but I still liked it. I knew that knowing medical ninjutsu, even just the basics, could one day save my life, and my friends' lives. It was already super useful with our intense physical training. Besides, given what might be in our future, we'd need as much medical preparation as we could get.

"Again. Proper hand seals, and do not channel chakra until I tell you. How many times must I remind you that medical jutsu is all about control? If you cannot summon chakra in the amount that I call for, and when I call for it, then you'll never be able to properly do medical jutsu, and you'll be stuck on a civilian level. Unless you want to tell me that you've changed your mind." Our medic-nin sensei told us as we all worked on emitting chakra from our hand. Chakra scalpels were the first kind of chakra molding I had done outside of my body, and even though I had been practicing longer than Shinobu or Kakashi, I still had trouble with precision. At least the others had trouble too. Sensei stood in a corner, watching closely. He knew better than to mess with our lessons with others, especially when it was Chiko teaching. He was quite possible the sternest and most sarcastic person I had ever met. Oh, and a bit of a jerk too. But, he knew what he was doing extremely well. I formed the hand seals. Tiger, horse, rabbit, rat, and finally, dog.

"Again. Form the seals more quickly, all of you." We repeated the seals until we could do them in our sleep, in a few seconds, which was probably the point. If the seals didn't become second nature, we'd freeze up in the field. And none of us could afford that if we wanted to stay alive.

"Now form the seals, this time channeling chakra. Make sure it is only enough for what you need." I concentrated. At least with my chakra sense, I knew exactly how much chakra was needed. Shaping the chakra into sharp edges around my hands, and keeping those edges, was the tricky part. I swiped at the apple in front of me, and sighed as the apple was cut into. I still hadn't managed to get a clean cut all the way through.

"Try directing the chakra with two fingers, instead of your entire hand. That will help get a more precise point." Chiko told me, watching carefully. To my delight, it did help. Chiko gestured to the next apple on the table. I swiped at the apple, and grinned as the apple split fully.

"Good. Work on maintaining that edge, and your precision, and your speed."

"Yes Chiko-sensei." Chiko left me to practice, and turned to the others. Shinobu was making progress, each attempt cutting further and further into her apple. Chiko made the same suggestion, of using two fingers, and it helped.

"Better. Work on maintaining that form." Chiko told her. She nodded, and focused again. Chiko turned next to Kakashi. Kakashi performed the hand seals, and swiped at the apple in front of him. Nothing seemed to happen, even though I could have sworn Kakashi's edges were sharp enough.

"Uh..." Chiko frowned, and picked up the apple, slicing it with his own chakra scalpel. No seals, of course. The apple fell apart, into more than just two pieces.

"Inside is cut, but outside is untouched. No a bad thing, but that is not the purpose of this lesson. Again. Properly this time." Kakashi still had trouble with the scalpels, as did Shinobu. I was getting better too. Another hour, and Chiko clapped his hands sharply together.

"Time's up for today. See you."

"That was exhausting." Kakashi sighed. I nodded in agreement, and so did Shinobu.

"If it's any comfort, you're improving rapidly." Sensei said. Given how tired the others felt, they didn't particularly care.

"Alright. Lunch, then one or two simple D-ranks." Lunch, was at an Akimichi restaurant. Hot pot, which was very, very good. The D-ranks, were walking dogs, and cleaning out kennels at the Inuzuka compound. I had no problems being surrounded by dogs for the afternoon, and neither did Kakashi or Shinobu. The Inuzuka didn't really judge Shinobu. They might have the first time, but as soon as they saw how much the dogs loved her, no more complaints. It was one of the few places she could relax. Finally, we finished up.

"If anyone's interested, my mom offered to make dinner for everyone tonight." I told my team as we stepped out of the administration building. That got everyone's attention.

"That sounds good. Who's all invited?" Sensei asked.

"The entire team."

"Just let me tell tou-san." Kakashi said. I nodded, then remembered he and Shinobu had only been to my house once, and Sensei hadn't been at all. I didn't think that was enough for them to remember the way.

"I'll wait?" I said sheepishly. Kakashi rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway.

"Ok." Sensei and Shinobu waited on the outskirts of the Hatake district too, but we didn't have to wait long. Kakashi met with us after about five minutes. I led the others to the Uchiha District, sliding to a stop in front of the front porch. I studied my house for a bit. Why, I wasn't really sure. But I was just feeling really, really grateful. I had awesome parents, a large clan, and good friends. I really couldn't ask for more than that. I opened the door, shucking my sandals before stepping further inside.

"Mom, I'm home! And my team's here!"

"Welcome! Come on in!" Mom called back. Slight scuffling noises behind me told me that the others were removing their sandals. Mom was in the kitchen from her chakra signature, and I led the way there. Mom was standing over a large pot on the stove, various other pots steaming, and a giant stack of dishes on the table to be set. Mom looked around, and smiled. She gave what was in the large pot another stir, then covered it, wiping her hands on a towel.

"It's nice to finally meet all of you. You must be Minato-san. I've heard a lot about you."

"Chihiro-chan, or..." Sensei asked curiously. Mom shrugged.

"Chihiro, your reputation, your friendship with Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama. He respects you a great deal."

"Oh. Well, we were really good friends in the Academy, and we continued that friendship." Mom smiled, then turned to the other two, her attention latching onto Kakashi first, since he was in front.

"You must be Kakashi-kun. Chihiro says you're good at kenjutsu, even if she does grumble about being beaten all the time."

"Mom!" I protested. Kakashi snorted, and Sensei chuckled. Mom smiled at me, then turned her attention to the last member of the team.

"Which leaves, Shinobu-chan. Chihiro says you're very good at picking up techniques fast, have incredible chakra control, and that you're an expert at hiding." Shinobu looked down, and Mom glanced at me, a little worried and confused. I shrugged. I had told Mom that Shinobu was super shy, but I'm not sure if she realized just how shy.

"Thank you." Shinobu whispered finally. Mom studied her a bit longer, then nodded. 

"You have interesting teammates Chihiro. Now come on, I have tea ready, and dinner will be ready soon. My husband should be home soon as well. Chihiro, set the table please." I did as I was told, Shinobu lending me a hand.

"You doing ok?" I whispered. Shinobu nodded.

"Can I ask..."

"Sure." I said, going over to the kitchen island. Mom had set out the teapot, and a full set of cups, so that whoever wanted tea could serve themselves without getting in the way of the chef. Mom had gone back to the stove, but was listening.

"Why...why did you cut your hair? It was so pretty long." I blushed.

"I...can't do my hair. I can't do it in buns, or braids, or anything like that. Just ponytails. Mom can do all that, but with all the training, and missions, I don't usually have time to sit still, even if it is shorter. And Mom's pretty busy."

"I help Mikoto-sama out with clan things, and I work at the hospital. I don't have much time either, unless Chihiro gets up early." Mom explained, a little ruefully.

"And the time Kakashi-kun took advantage of my loose hair, it hurt, a lot." I finished.

"You were nailing me with ninjutsu. I just reacted the best I could." Kakashi protested.

"Yeah, I get that, but I'm going to minimize what advantage I give an enemy." I shot back. Kakashi only shrugged.

"Well...I could." Shinobu broke in quietly. I blinked, a little confused. I got sidetracked so easily with Kakashi.

"What?" Shinobu took a breath.

"I like braiding. We...we could get to the training ground early, and I'll...I'll do your hair."

"Oh. Sure!" Shinobu gave me a shy smile. I grinned.

"Just what was this ninjutsu struggle you had with my daughter?" Mom asked curiously. Sensei grinned, and started to explain that particular training day. I laughed, as Sensei finished up. We really had gone overboard on that day, but it had been fun. I suddenly sensed a familiar chakra signature at the front door, just before the door opened.

"Aki, did we suddenly adopt...three more kids? I'm pretty sure Chihiro doesn't have this many shoes. And I thought Obito-kun was going to be busy." Dad called. Mom sighed.

"Daido, you do remember what we talked about this morning?"

"What? Oh, right! Chihiro's team got invited over for dinner." I facepalmed, but I couldn't stop laughing. Dad was just so silly! He was a brilliant detective, the best on the Konoha Military Police force. But when he was actually home, the jokes couldn't stop. Sure enough, when he finally appeared in the doorway to the now very full kitchen, his grin made his scars go in weird directions. I was used to it though. He paused, surveying the collection of people in front of him.

"Let's see...oh, Minato-san! I didn't realize you were Chihiro's sensei."

"Daido-san. It's been a while. Is Fugaku still making you work hard?" Sensei asked. I blinked. I didn't know Dad and Sensei knew each other.

"Always. As for Chihiro's other teammates...silver hair, looks almost exactly like Sakumo-san. You look ready to explode into action. Black hair, quiet, probably very, very perceptive. Have I got that right?" He asked, pointing to each person as he spoke.

"Right on Dad. The silver haired boy is Kakashi Hatake, Sakumo-sensei's son. The girl, is Shinobu Katsuki." I admitted. Dad grinned again.

"Nice to meet you. Now, tell me all the juicy gossip I've been missing! Especially the gossip about Sakumo being a sensei? Since when? I thought he was done after the chaos his genin team put him through!"

"Dad!" I protested, but again, I couldn't stop laughing. That night's dinner was much louder than I was used to, but it was the most fun I'd had in ages. We all talked, laughed, and at one point, cried because we were laughing so hard. I did notice Shinobu became more withdrawn after a while. Seemed like she was tired of the social interaction for the day. While the others I finished eating, I pointed to the living room. It would be quieter, but we could all see each other. Shinobu nodded, and slipped out of her seat. Dishes were washed- Kakashi and I got soaked after Dad decided we needed to cool down from an argument over nature jutsu. Didn't work- and things finally quieted down. We talked a bit more, but it was getting late, and everyone was getting tired. It was time to wrap things up. I escorted my teammates out.

"Thank you. Tonight was nice." Shinobu told me, giving me another shy smile.

"Anytime you want to come for dinner, you can." Mom said over my shoulder.

"Thanks." Kakashi said, before darting away. Shinobu nodded.

"Thanks." Then, she darted down the street. Sensei waved, then teleported away. I grinned. Three smiles, in one day! That was great! Plus with the pranks, I think Shinobu was really starting to come out of her shell! I smiled when I crawled into bed later that night after a shower. It really had been a good day. That night, no dreams or nightmares came.


	9. Chapter 8: The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Normal training and missions. Or at least, as normal as Team 7 can get.

I raced across the roofs to the training ground. Crap crap crap, I was so going to be late! Between waking up late, and Obito stopping at the house, I had gotten distracted. And it was a lesson I really didn't want to be late for either! Sakumo was going to be teaching us kenjutsu this morning, and just...ugh! I arrived out of breath, to see Sakumo, Shinobu, and Sensei waiting patiently, Kakashi looking irritated.

"You're late." Kakashi told me, tone flat.

"Like I don't know that." I snapped. "I'm sorry I'm not perfect!"

"Easy Chihiro-chan. Life happens, and you're only late by about ten minutes." Sensei said soothingly. Shinobu stepped to my side, and swiftly braided my hair. The feeling of her fingers in my hair calmed me, and I took a few breaths.

"Alright, I'm going to show you a different technique today. I'll demonstrate it slowly, then do it with Kakashi. Then, we practice." Sakumo said. I nodded, and watched carefully. Sakumo swept his bokken through the air, the surrounding air whistling with the speed of the strike. The series of sweeps would be effective. Probably multiple opponents are once. Sakumo finished a sequence, then turned to his son.

"Kakashi, you ready?"

"Yep." Kakashi raised his own bokken. He was vastly overmatched by Sakumo, which at the same time showed off the sweeping technique. Still, I could tell Kakashi was improving. After Kakashi had crashed to the ground, Sakumo smiled.

"Much better Kakashi. As for you two, you've seen how it's done. I'll set a simple sequence to start. Strike one, left to right. Horizontal. Strike two, left upper, to right lower. Strike three, opposite. Strike four, vertical, starting from the top, down. Repeat the strikes as I call them." We did as we were told, with Sakumo correcting us occasionally. Kakashi was still the smoothest, but I felt better about my strikes. Seven weeks or so of hard practice had done a lot.

"Harder. You need to mean a strike, I need to hear the air whistling. No chakra boosts yet, you need to get the technique right first." After several more minutes, Sakumo indicated for us to stop.

"Alright, Chihiro-chan, change your grip slightly. A little bit more forward with your front hand. With your body structure, that will give you more control." I adjusted, and Sakumo nodded. "Strike three. Strike one. Strike two. Strike four. Much better." I grinned. It had felt better, just that tiny adjustment. Sakumo turned to Shinobu, and smiled.

"Nothing wrong with your strikes. You're doing well. Would you be willing to try a few things?" Shinobu nodded, a little hesitantly. Sakumo smiled reassuringly.

"Reverse your grip on the bokken. Now, strike one. Strike three. Strike four. Strike two. How does that feel?" Shinobu hesitated, then nodded.

"Different. But...good." Sakumo smiled, pleased. "And...actually, can you pull out two kunai? Kakashi mentioned that you can dual wield well. I'd like to see." Shinobu nodded.

"Whatever technique you want in this case." Shinobu nodded again, then hesitantly started. She moved more smoothly as she grew more confident. Sensei glanced at Sakumo. Sakumo nodded, and Sensei created a couple of clones.

"Go against these, Shinobu-chan." Shinobu gave the briefest of nods, still focused. I suddenly realized she had one kunai in the reverse grip. When had she switched? Yet her attacks were still smooth, and soon, got a strike on one of the clones. It disappeared into smoke. My jaw dropped. Sensei could make shadow clones? That was so cool!

"Alright Shinobu-chan, thank you." Sakumo said after a few more minutes. Shinobu stopped, and the second shadow clone dismissed itself.

"You had one of the kunai in a reverse grip. You didn't even seem to think about it. Have you done that before?" Sakumo asked. Shinobu frowned, trying to remember.

"I...I don't know."

"That's fine. How would you like to learn dual wielding with longer blades? I'll also teach you to use the reverse grip. Not many shinobi can use the reverse grip, so if you can learn it, you'll be better than most who are skilled in kenjutsu." Shinobu hesitated, then smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Chihiro, if you want to learn the reverse grip, or dual wielding, I'll teach you too." Sakumo offered. I thought about that. Sakumo had already started drilling us to not prefer one hand over the other in combat. I honestly didn't have that much interest in the reverse grip. Dual wielding, might be something. Except, I wanted to specialize more in ninjutsu, than kenjutsu. I needed hand seals for that.

"I think it might be better to just learn what you've taught me so far." I said slowly. "I want to be really good at ninjutsu, and I can't do that very well if I have both hands occupied."

"That's fine. Let's go again. Remember those adjustments. Again, as I call the strike." Sakumo called the strikes faster this time, but we kept up without too many issues.

"Again." Sakumo said, after performing the sequence a few more times. This time, was even faster, and we were all making the air around us whistle.

"Whoa." Sakumo said softly at one point. I glanced at him, to see him studying Shinobu. Her latest strike had been strong enough to blow her long bangs out of her face. Shinobu froze, then disappeared, a pile of leaves fluttering to the ground in her place. Sakumo frowned, looking confused and a little worried.

"Uh..." Sensei looked around the training ground.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, hopefully." Sensei disappeared. I cast my own chakra sense out, searching. But I couldn't sense her. I don't know if Sensei could, but maybe he had a better idea of where to look.

"Kakashi, when you mentioned she hated people seeing her eyes, I didn't think it was this bad. I'm sorry." Sakumo said softly. Kakashi sighed.

"I had hoped that she'd be ok with you."

"I think she is. It's just that her hatred of her eyes is still stronger." I countered. Kakashi thought about it, then nodded. Sakumo frowned again.

"Just how badly has she been bullied?"

"Badly. She never tells us the full story, but occasionally, she comes to training or missions with bruises. I heal what I can." I growled.

"It's not right tou-san." Kakashi added, his own voice in a growl. Sakumo placed a hand on his son's head, and one on mine. He still looked worried, but he still wanted to reassure us. My respect for him increased. He was just so nice, and patient, and understanding.

"Calm down you two. I think Minato has this in hand." Just a couple minutes later, Sensei reappeared, Shinobu in his arms. I blinked. Shinobu had curled up into Sensei about as tightly as she could. She seemed to be shaking slightly, but not much. Sensei shot us a look that told us to be patient, and to stay back. Sakumo approached, though kept some distance between himself and Sensei.

"Sorry." Shinobu whispered.

"Don't be." Sakumo said calmly. "You're working on healing from very traumatic experiences. I don't know what all has happened, but I know it takes time to heal. Much longer than a few weeks. You are different, and that's ok. Everyone has something that is different about them. Chihiro-chan's cheerful for an Uchiha. Kakashi has an extremely sensitive nose. Minato can be too protective. No one, absolutely no one, should tell you what you like, or dislike about yourself. You need to make that decision." Shinobu uncurled a bit, and looked at Sakumo. He smiled, when he saw her eyes again.

"Like a river, and spring leaves. Very pretty. Now, is it just your eyes that gets you bullied?" Shinobu shook her head.

"I...people...don't like my birthmarks...and the...the kids at the orphanage...they...they hate that I graduated. Except Rin-chan. And...on...on missions...people...they...just...in the village...people....give me weird looks."

"Have you thought about sustaining a genjutsu or Henge somehow? Or, a mask of some sort? That might help a few things." Sakumo offered. Shinobu hesitated, and shook her head.

"Just think about it. You have options." Shinobu nodded, and Sensei set her down gently on the grass.

"Ready for more training? It's ok if you're not." Shinobu took up her bokken again. Sakumo smiled.

"Right then. We'll continue working on the same technique. I'm going to set a different sequence, and we'll go again." The next sequence was more complicated, but it still didn't take too long to figure out. We continued to progress through sequences for the rest of the morning, then worked on combining sequences. We took a break for lunch, then continued for another hour.

"All of you did very well today. Practice. I'll see you later." Sakumo left in a Shunshin, and Kakashi looked mildly disappointed. I was too, but also tired. Probably time to do something else.

"Let's see...how about a mission or two?" Sensei asked. I didn't have a problem with that, though I did have to wonder why exactly we did so many D-ranks, and in village C-ranks. Earning money was nice, but I didn't know what to do with it. I just saved it, unless I needed extra supplies. But then, I saw how grateful Shinobu looked. I facepalmed. Of course, Sensei was trying to help Shinobu support herself. She didn't want us just giving her things- I had asked. This way, we all earned money.

"Sounds good Sensei." Sensei smiled, and led the way to the administration center. We ended up waiting behind an older genin team. They looked disgruntled, which was understandable. D-ranks were very boring. But we had also done some pretty easy C-ranks in the village. That mixed it up some. And I liked helping people, and seeing portions of the village I hadn't really explored before. Once we reached the desk, Sensei bowed to the Hokage. The Hokage smiled at us.

"Hokage-sama, my team is ready for another mission." Sensei said. The Hokage nodded, and selected a scroll with a green ribbon, indicating another D-rank.

"We have a lost pet mission that came in this morning. I think you'd be well suited to this one."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Sensei bowed again, then led us out of the room to the hallway. In an alcove, he untied the scroll, and read the contents.

"Alright you three. We're searching for a dog, fast, loves to run. Medium size, dark brown in color. Last seen early this morning at its home in the northern civilian section. Ready?" We all nodded, though Kakashi had a scowl on his face. I could tell he was really annoyed, but not why exactly.

"How are we going to do this?" I asked. We had completed pet retrievals before, including one to find a cat. That, had not been fun. At least, until Shinobu neared the cat. The cat had gone straight into her arms, and Shinobu had happily carried it gently home. At least one civilian family liked her because of that mission.

"This kind of mission isn't much different than searching for an enemy in the field." Kakashi stared at Sensei, as did Shinobu and I. Usually, Sensei didn't do much except tell us the details. But the last couple of days had been different. Briefings were more like lessons.

"You have to consider what ability your opponent might have, how to cover the most amount of ground, and also consider your own advantages. So, tell me how you would address all of that." Sensei continued. I thought for a minute. If the dog loved to run, maybe it liked being chased.

"The dog probably thinks that people chasing after it is a game. It'll wait until the last second before dodging." I mused. Sensei nodded.

"Ok. What about the next point?"

"Covering the most amount of ground in a four person team...Two people high, space between them. Two people low, kind of staggered with the people up higher." Kakashi added.

"And how might your abilities help?"

"We have two chakra sensors. Most teams don't even have one. And Kakashi-kun's got a really good sense of smell. Every living thing has chakra, but a dog that's not part of the Inuzuka clan, or a summons, won't really know how to use chakra. So its chakra will be lower. That can be harder to sense." I said.

"If we can get something's of the dog's, it should have it's scent." Shinobu added. Kakashi nodded.

"I could at least track it at first, and then you or Chihiro-chan might be able to get us closer."

"So how would you proceed?" Sensei prompted.

"We know the basics. We need more information." Shinobu decided. Sensei grinned.

"Very good. Let's go." We headed into the northern civilian section, reaching the house of the owner within a few minutes. Sensei knocked on the door, and the door opened to reveal a young man. He surveyed us, pausing on Shinobu. It was brief, but I still saw the distaste on his face. I couldn't help but notice that the man made sure the bulk of the door was between him, and ourselves. I held on tight to my temper, only scowling briefly. Every single damn time.

"Hello. Are you the genin team that accepted my mission request?"

"We are We'd like to find out more information about your dog, and if possible, get something of the dog's so we can hopefully track it." Sensei informed our client. The man nodded.

"Sure. Cha, as I said in the mission report, is fast. He's a normal dog, not summons. I fed him breakfast this morning, then went upstairs for something. When I got back downstairs, he was gone. I had accidentally left the door open when I went out to the market." Kakashi gave a snort. It was so quiet, I wouldn't have heard it if I wasn't standing right next to him. I refocused.

"Does he like treats, or anything like that?" I asked. Our client laughed, and ruefully shook his head.

"If you're hoping to lure him into a corner, or get him to follow you, it won't work. He thinks it's a giant game. Normally, I'm the one chasing him when he's out on his walk, but I have no idea where he went this time."

"We'll find him." Sensei promised.

"Thank you. Now you said something about scent tracking? I have his leash."

"That'll work." Kakashi said. The client ducked inside for a moment, then handed the leash to Kakashi. Kakashi sniffed carefully, then nodded, and looped the leash around his shoulders.

"Got it."

"Thank you for your time." Sensei told the client. The man waved.

"Good luck!"

"How would you do this?" Sensei asked.

"I need to stay on the ground. Either Chihiro-chan or Shinobu-chan with me. The other two on the roofs." Kakashi answered. Sensei smiled.

"Good. Shinobu-chan, you're a little more sensitive, you might pick up the signature better. Chihiro-chan, you're up on the roofs with me. You're going to be in front, your eyesight would spot him more quickly than the rest of us."

"Yes Sensei."

"Let's move." For over an hour, I followed Kakashi as he hunted the scent. We wound through some civilian districts, and shinobi, and even through the Hyuga district. For that, we couldn't travel the roofs. So I just followed behind Kakashi. Finally, in a market in one of the shinobi districts, Kakashi seemed more alert. He stopped, and glanced at Shinobu. She paused, then flashed a series of hand signals up to us. I looked in the direction she had indicated, and sure enough, there was a brown dog. I nodded confirmation to Sensei, and he sent another series of hand signals down to Shinobu. Shinobu and Kakashi split up, coming at the dog from two sides. Kakashi attracted it's attention first, letting it slowly come closer to him. Just as slowly, Shinobu had come from behind, boxing the dog in. Then, Shinobu attracted the dog's attention. The dog trotted over to her, and she started to pet it. Kakashi smoothly attached the leash to the dog's collar. Sensei and I jumped down. Sensei was grinning.

"Nicely done. Let's get our mischievous dog back to his owner." Kakashi handed the leash over to me just a few minutes into the walk back. I grimaced a little, and stuck my tongue out at him. The dog pulled, a lot.

"I tracked him. Your turn to do work." Kakashi said. I was about to argue that I had done work, then saw the smirk, and realized Kakashi was teasing. I huffed instead, and we continued on. Our client opened the door at Sensei's knock, and grinned.

"Thank you! That was fast." He took the leash from me, all the while keeping a firm grip. Sensei shrugged.

"I've got a good team." Our client simply waved, before shutting the door. Even as we started to leave, we could hear the dog being good-naturedly scolded by his owner.

"Hokage-sama, we're done." Sensei reported, once we got back to the mission room. The Hokage nodded.

"Do you want another mission today?"

"I think that would be a good idea." The Hokage looked through more of the green-ribboned scrolls, before handing one to Sensei.

"A mother from the Hyuga clan would like a babysitter for her toddler while she's out for a few hours."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." The trip to the Hyuga compound didn't take long. We knocked on the door of a larger house, and the door opened to reveal an older kunoichi with a toddler balanced on her hip. The hidden forehead indicated she was a branch member.

"Minato-san! This is a surprise!"

"So this is the son you were talking about. He's cute." Sensei said, reaching out a hand to the toddler. The boy grabbed on, and shook two fingers, hard. Sensei smiled. The kunoichi smiled, but I could tell she was tired.

"Thank you. But he's so adventurous already. And you're teaching?"

"I am. Meet my team, Chihiro Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Shinobu Katsuki." Sensei said, gesturing with his free hand. The kunoichi frowned, surveying us, and her frown deepened, almost to a scowl when she looked at Shinobu. I stepped slightly in front of her, while I sensed Kakashi moving to her side. Together, we shielded our shy teammate. I couldn't feel Shinobu's chakra at all. Not good. Sensei's smile faded, just a little.

"They're..."

"All genin. And we've completed many missions already, including babysitting. Though that one was civilian." Sensei said, more firmly than he usually spoke. The kunoichi sighed, then let us inside.

"Well, you might find Hachi a little more interesting to babysit than a civilian. After all, he does have shinobi around him."

"Go do what you need to Yuriko-san." Sensei told her. She handed him Hachi, then almost ran out the door.

"See you later."

"Sensei, do you know everyone?" Kakashi asked. I knew that couldn't be exactly it. Though Sensei did know a lot of the more important people in the village. Sensei shook his head, smiling. He then put the little Hyuga boy down on the floor.

"Not everyone. But I was friends with quite a few clan heirs...though some of them are clan leaders now. Anyway, I knew them during my time at the Academy. I still keep in touch, and visit many of them. As you know, I'm still friends with Fugaku, and Mikoto."

"So who exactly is our client?" I asked curiously.

"Yuriko Hyuga is part of the branch house, I think second cousins with Hizashi and Hiashi?" Sensei mused.

"Oh."

"So what to do with you?" Kakashi mused, looking at the little boy.

"Nothing sharp." I muttered. Kakashi snorted.

"That's obvious." For a while, we played peek a boo with Hachi. Throughout the first hour, Shinobu didn't speak. She sat, and watched, but stayed curled up, and didn't meet anyone's eyes. I sighed.

It had been a hard day for her. First Sakumo, even if he had been super nice about things. Then the civilian man, and the Hyuga. Ever single time we were out in the village, or completing missions, something like this, the disgust people showed, happened. I just didn't get why! Why were people so mean to my teammate? I noticed Sensei watching Shinobu carefully, more thoughtful than worried at this point.

Shinobu gradually relaxed though, and after the little boy tired of peek a boo, she frowned, thinking. After a few moments, she flew through a series of hand seals. A miniature clone of herself appeared on the floor in front of the young Hyuga. Hachi gurgled, and slapped a hand down on top of the clone. Only to have the clone dodge, and scoot to just outside of the little boy's reach. I started to smile. Henge, on top of Bushin. Very, very clever. And...yep, that was a water clone too. I laughed.

"Shinobu-chan, that's brilliant!" I watched at Hachi slammed a hand down again, and as the clone dodged again.

"Can you make one for each of us?" Kakashi asked. Within seconds, three more tiny water clones appeared to occupy the young Hyuga. This game lasted much longer. Sometimes, Hachi managed to smash a mini clone, his expression of surprise, then happiness never fading when his hand got wet. After nearly three hours at the house, Hachi slowed, yawned, and tipped over. I caught the little boy before he could hit the floor, and after another yawn, he fell asleep. I just held the Hyuga boy, while Shinobu leaned into Sensei. After almost two solid hours of maintaining the clones, not to mention the Henge, and directing their movements, she was close to exhaustion. After about five more minutes, I sensed a chakra signature approaching, and the door opened to reveal our client. Yoriko looked much more rested, and happier. She brightened further when she saw her son sleeping in my arms. I offered the boy to his mother, and Yoriko took him, gently rocking him to make sure he stayed asleep.

"Oh, he's asleep! How long?"

"Just a few minutes. My team figured out a way to play with him that kept Hachi-kun very occupied." Sensei told her. He nudged Shinobu upright, and she blinked sleepily.

"Thank you!" Yoriko ushered us out, then closed the door softly behind us. Sensei stretched.

"Alright, I think that does it for today. We'll report to the Hokage, and then we can go home. Chihiro-chan, do we have an invitation tonight?" I shook my head.

"Sorry, no. Mom said she wanted time with Dad. I have to watch the house."

"Alright." Sensei led the way once again to the administration center, but kept to the streets. The reason was clear just a few minutes into the walk back. Shinobu was still incredibly tired. After another slight stumble, Kakashi gently took her hand to lead her through the streets. I walked just ahead of them, ensuring the path was clear. We got into a longer line of shinobi reported back to the Hokage, and Sensei leaned down to Shinobu.

"Next time, take a break for a little bit."

"Sorry." Shinobu muttered, before yawning. Sensei smiled.

"No apologies. Just get to bed early tonight, ok?" Shinobu nodded. By the time we finally reported back to the Hokage, and got back outside of the administration center, Shinobu looked a little more awake.

"That wraps it up for today. I'll see you tomorrow, usual time, usual place. And I think I might have a surprise for you tomorrow. We'll see." Sensei told us. I looked up curiously. It could honestly be anything, at this point.

"What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" With a grin, Sensei disappeared. I sighed, then headed home. If it was another training challenge, I wanted to grab extra weapons, and get to bed early. No reason to come unprepared.


	10. Chapter 9: High Hopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato's protective tendencies come out with a vengeance. Certain people in the village learn it's really not a good idea to mess with the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot Habanero...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Shinobu is very badly abused in this chapter. For anyone who is a bit squeamish, I am sorry. Nothing too graphic, as I can't handle that either. And also, some angst. I am sorry in advance. Some fluff to balance a few things out, hopefully.

Minato Namikaze 

I grinned. My day was going to be fantastic. The reason for that, was my girlfriend standing in the middle of the kitchen. I nursed a cup of tea as she bustled around, chattering.

"Minato, I can't believe you waited this long to formally introduce me to your team! I mean, technically I know Kakashi-kun, and I've met Shinobu-chan, but I still haven't met Chihiro-chan ya know! And I know I've had a lot of missions, or they were busy, but still!" I continued to grin.

"They have no clue you're coming, and I think you'd have fun training against them. Besides, I wanted to check with Shinobu-chan if she'd found an apartment yet, and I figured you'd enjoy talking with her."

"Yes, but can we please hurry then?" I laughed, then winced as Kushina swatted me. But we still enjoyed breakfast, cleaned up, and were ready to go before seven. I took Kushina's hand, and concentrated on Kakashi's seal. We teleported to the training ground, and I frowned as I realized Chihiro and Kakashi were huddled around a tree root. And, they were joined by two children...I recognized both Obito and Rin. What were they doing here? Then I caught sight of who they were surrounding and my stomach dropped, before filling with icy dread. Shinobu had curled up into a tight ball, shaking, in the middle of a panic attack. But I could see bruises, and blood coming from cuts. Her clothes were torn, and stained. She looked like she had been in a battle.

"What happened?" I asked, working to keep my voice calm. Kushina knelt next to the kids, face full of worry.

"Don't touch Shinobu-chan, please. She's...it's bad." Obito said softly.

"She got beaten by the kids again last night. But then, they also caught her this morning, and did...they beat her again, and got a hold of her weapons, and used them on her." Rin whispered. I noticed she had a couple bruises too. Must have defended Shinobu. I took a breath, fighting to keep my temper under control, and reign in the killing intent starting to leak into the air. Kushina, was doing the same thing. We didn't want to scare the kids with massive killing intent, as much as I wanted to let it loose.

"Beaten again?" I had known that Shinobu was bullied, was hurt, but to this extent...this was torture.

"Never this bad Sensei. I've healed her a couple times before training. Just bruises. Once bruised ribs. But this...this is worse." Chihiro answered. "I...want to heal her, but in the middle of a panic attack...and I don't think I have enough chakra for this." I thought rapidly. 

"Chihiro-chan. Get to the hospital, get Chiko-san or another doctor you trust. Only someone you trust. Tell them to bring medical supplies. Hurry."

"Wait. Just get Chiko-san." Kushina said. I glanced at her, and she held my gaze, serious. Chihiro looked at me, hesitating. I nodded, and she darted away.

"Kakashi-kun. See if you can sniff out where her injuries are the worst. When Chiko-san gets here, let him know." Kakashi nodded, and scooted a little closer to Shinobu.

"Rin-chan, Obito-kun. Do you have anywhere to be?"

"The Academy doesn't start until tomorrow. We just wanted to help." Rin replied.

"You have, a lot. You got your friend out of a very dangerous situation. Thank you, for taking her somewhere safe. If you stay, you can get those bruises healed." I reassured her. She gave me a strained smile.

"Thank you."

"For now, move back a little. Chiko-san's going to need room." Rin and Obito obeyed, moving back to the cool grass.

"Shinobu-chan, if you can hear me, you're safe. We'll get you healed, just hang in there." Kushina whispered, shifting to sit by Shinobu's head. I watched my shyest student carefully, worry increasing. I had no idea the bullying was this bad, and the fact that Yakushi-san would let something like this happen...it was awful. Why, why hadn't I acted when Shinobu had first told Kushina and I about the bullying? This...this was torture. It wasn't right!

"Minato." I looked to Kushina, to see her smiling gently, hiding her worry well. "We'll figure it out." I sighed. Yes, we would.

"Just a little longer Shinobu-chan." I whispered. I could feel Chihiro and Chiko rapidly approaching. Just a few seconds later, Chiko stood in front of us, medical bag in hand. He saw Shinobu's injuries, and dropped to his knees, already going through hand seals. 

"Chiko-sensei, I think it's worse on her arms and legs. But there's so much blood..." Kakashi said, worriedly. Chiko nodded sharply. 

"Chihiro-chan explained that Shinobu-chan had been hurt. And that you had asked for me." he growled as a blue screen appeared between his hands. He glanced up at Kushina, and some sort of understanding passed between them. He gave her a nod, then turned back to his screen. His face turned even grimmer.

"How bad?" I asked warily.

"Deep cuts, stab wounds, hairline fractures in her arms and legs. Cracked ribs. Less recent injuries, that haven't healed completely. Maybe made a week or two ago. I'll stabilize her ribs, but she needs the hospital. Only thing is, I can't treat her while she's in the middle of a panic attack. Do you know how to calm her down?"

"She likes origami." Obito offered. Chiko scowled. At the moment, that wouldn't really help. Chihiro started humming under her breath, and I saw wooden worry beads in her hand.

"She likes animals." Kakashi offered. "Maybe tou-san could summon one of his wolves?" It wasn't a bad idea. My toads weren't furry, and I suspected the furrier the better right now. Kushina was still hesitant to summon her foxes. I could see her hesitating now, debating. Better to save her the trouble for now. I was about to order Kakashi to find Sakumo, before I noticed something. Shinobu's shaking had eased.

"I think the worst is over." I said. Chiko studied her, and nodded. Shinobu's shaking slowly eased further, though she stayed curled up. 

"Chihiro-chan, I think you have enough chakra to help your friends over there." he said, even as he focused on Shinobu's injuries. Chihiro nodded, and went over to Rin and Obito. Several tense minutes passed before Chiko sat back. 

"Her ribs are stabilized. If she'll let you carry her, we need to go. I can get a private room. Hopefully being in the hospital won't trigger another attack." he said. 

"Can we come? We're her friends, maybe we can help!" Obito asked hopefully.

"I can't have the hospital room too crowded. You're going to have to wait." Chiko said bluntly. Obito's face fell, and he glanced at Rin. 

"You can probably come as far as the hospital front doors." Kushina offered. Obito smiled. 

"And us?" Chihiro asked. Chiko glanced at her, and Kakashi. I could see him turning over the matter in his mind. 

"What are her triggers?" 

"Lots of people around her, anyone catching sight of her eyes, or birthmarks, people touching her." Rin supplied. 

"Better be safe than sorry then. Kushina and I will stay with her, and we'll keep you updated. But you can still come to the hospital entrance. We'll take the day off, and tomorrow too." I said gently. Kakashi and Chihiro looked somewhat unhappy, but also understanding. Rin and Obito, just a bit disappointed. 

"Ok." From there, Chiko grabbed a blanket from his bag, and I wrapped it gently around Shinobu.

"We'll get you healed." I whispered. I gathered my shy student up in my arms, feeling her relax just slightly. I tugged a section over her head, so that she wouldn't have to see anything if she didn't want to. Kushina gathered Rin and Obito, told them to hold on, and we left in Shunshins. I didn't have the hospital marked yet, but that would probably change after today. Just an extra precaution. We stopped just outside of the front doors, and I turned to the kids as they arrived. 

"Rin-chan, Obito-kun, thank you for you help. I promise we'll let you know how Shinobu-chan is. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, I can send messenger toads. Kushina and I will take care of her."

"Thanks Sensei. Kushina-san, were you going to be our surprise?" Chihiro asked. Kakashi handed me Shinobu's bag. 

"I was. I'm Kushina Uzumaki, Special Jōnin, and Minato's girlfriend. We were going to spar today, but we'll have to do that later." Chihiro nodded, and looked over at the others. 

"Come on Obito, Rin-chan. There's some cool things I can show you." Chihiro said, pulling her friends away. "You too Kakashi-kun!"

"What?" Kakashi asked indignantly.

"There's some empty training fields in the Uchiha compound. We can work on jutsu." Kakashi hesitated. Chihiro rolled her eyes, grabbed Kakashi's wrist, and dragged him away. I heard them arguing as they left, but couldn't help smiling. They'd be fine for the day. Chiko led Kushina and I inside, heading quickly to a room on the upper floors. I sat in a chair, and uncovered Shinobu's head, then unwrapping the blanket. My alarm grew when I saw how much blood had leaked into the blanket. Kushina gently took Shinobu from me. Shinobu made no sound as she was transferred. She leaned into Kushina, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Shinobu felt she could trust her and myself. 

"Let's get you a bath Shinobu-chan. Then Chiko-san can finish healing you." Kushina promised.

"I'm going to get bandages. Any chance you can get new clothes?" Chiko asked. 

"Of course. I'll be back soon." Chiko nodded, and left the room. I left in another Shunshin to the market, and headed straight to a clothing store. I also stopped briefly in another store. It barely took me ten minutes to pick out a few things, pay, and then get back to the hospital. Kushina had finished with Shinobu's bath, and held the small girl on her lap as Chiko worked on healing her injuries. Several of her more serious injuries were already bandaged.

"-You'd know better than I Kushina. If you didn't want to attract attention, would it be possible to slow your healing ability?" My jaw dropped as I realized what Chiko meant. Shinobu was a jinchuriki? But I had never sensed a wisp of Tailed Beast chakra from her! I could sense the Kyuubi in Kushina if I concentrated, but I couldn't sense anything like that from Shinobu. Not to mention, she could completely mask her signature. I thought that was impossible for jinchūriki. Kushina meanwhile, looked thoughtful.

"I guess it is possible. But I don't know. What that implies...I don't know."

"Just a theory. I've done what I can for now." Chiko stood with a tired sigh. "Let's get you to bed for now Shinobu-chan. I think some sleep would do you some good."

"We'll stay. And you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to." Kushina promised. Shinobu only leaned against Kushina, closing her eyes. Within moments she had fallen asleep. Kushina tucked her into bed, while Chiko cleaned up. When he was done, he looked at us gravely.

"I do need to report to the Hokage about this. I'll be as discreet as I can be, but...watch over her. No child should have to go through that."

"I know. We will." I promised. Chiko nodded, then left. Kushina slapped a privacy seal on the wall, anticipating me. I made sure Shinobu was asleep, then sat in a chair next to the bed. Kushina sat next to me.

"How did you know?" I asked softly. Kushina sighed.

"The Kyuubi told me. The Tailed Beast in Shinobu-chan apparently started talking with Kyuubi shortly after Shinobu-chan and I met. And Shinobu-chan's Tailed Beast actually asked to talk with me and the Kyuubi. Jinchūriki can share a mindscape. I'm going to meet them in a minute or so."

"Wait, you can do that?"

"Hey, some of this I'm just figuring out myself ya know!" Kushina hissed. I held up my hands in surrender. 

"Alright, sorry! Good luck." Kushina smiled, then leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. I wanted to sleep, but considering what Kushina was doing, I decided to stay awake. Time ticked by, but Kushina eventually opened her eyes.

"That, was interesting. Shinobu-chan is the host for the Nibi, and she said her name was Matatabi. She explained that she's looked after Shinobu-chan since she was sealed inside. She's not manipulating Shinobu-chan at all. They're friends. Matatabi-san even helped Shinobu-chan learn jutsu. She's not letting Shinobu-chan use Tailed Beast abilities until she's a bit older though. Matatabi-san also gave me quite the scolding about not even trying to be friends with Kurama-san, the Kyuubi. We...agreed to try. I modified the seal so it was less restrictive." I let out a low whistle.

"You discussed a lot then." A lot of my assumptions about Tailed Beasts were practically shattered, but that was ok. I hadn't actually known much. It was good to learn more. Also, I was impressed on the restraint that both Shinobu and Matatabi had showed. So many people would have lashed out after their treatment, but they hadn't. That, was amazing.

"Worth it though. Matatabi-san also informed me that she can mask her own chakra signature, and has taken about every step she can, so Shinobu-chan's status as a jinchūriki isn't known. But, she's going to heal as many injuries as she can now, since we know."

"Thank you, Matatabi-san." I said quietly. Kushina was silent, studying Shinobu's sleeping form. Even asleep, she curled up as tightly as she could, protecting herself. 

"Minato, you know we can't..." Kushina whispered. I took her hand.

"I know." Kushina sighed, and put her head on my shoulder. The morning had been difficult, and we had been putting in some late nights training. An opportunity to sleep, was nice. We'd know if anyone came in. I woke suddenly, automatically reaching for a kunai before I registered what had made me tense in the first place. Kushina, also alert and a kunai in her hand, focused on the ANBU agent standing in the room by the foot of Shinobu's bed. A white cloak marked their status as a captain. Their mask, represented an otter. And...Chiko stood next to the ANBU agent, calmly looking through Shinobu's charts.

"Namikaze-san, Uzumaki-san. The Hokage wishes to speak with you. He also requests that you bring Shinobu-chan with you." A tilt of her head, looking back at Chiko. "Can you clear her for that much?"

"I actually wanted to check on her healing. If she's doing well enough, I'll discharge her now." Chiko promised. He ran through the hand seals for that diagnostic jutsu again, the blue screen glowing in the dim room. We had slept most of the afternoon. 

"I can wait that long." 

"You'll wait?" I asked. The ANBU captain let out a long sigh, and slumped a little.

"Shinobu-chan should not have been hurt like this. A failing, on myself and my team. The Hokage will explain more." Kushina and I exchanged a look. This, was confusing. Then again, since we knew Shinobu was a jinchūriki, a few others probably knew too. Maybe she had been assigned an ANBU guard? Shinobu woke as Chiko was finishing, eyes shooting open in alarm and letting out a whimper. Chiko backed off, watching warily. 

"It's alright Shinobu-chan. You're safe, and Minato and I are here." Kushina said softly. Yet Shinobu had started shaking, her eyes screwing shut. Kushina hesitated, then bit her thumb. My eyes widened. Kushina summoned a small red fox with a single tail, who sat primly.

"Kushina-sama. We were growing worried when you didn't summon us." Kushina winced.

"I am sorry Akane. I know I have a lot to explain, and apologize for."

"You didn't break the contract. The explanation, and apology to Asako-sama can wait." Kushina breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. I promise I'll visit soon. But right now, can you help? Shinobu-chan's been hurt badly, and she's afraid. She likes animals." Akane looked up, then hopped up on the bed. She sniffed Shinobu.

"Poor kit. Of course I'll help." the red fox lay down so that Shinobu's hand was touching the soft fur. Shinobu's eyes opened once again, staring at the fox.

"Hello kit. I am Akane, summons of Kushina-sama. You can pet me, if you wish." Shinobu cautiously reached out a shaking hand, finally laying it on Akane's back. Hesitantly, Shinobu stroked the fox, her shaking gradually easing. Chiko stepped forward again, finishing a few more things before letting out a sigh of relief. 

"She's healing enough that I can discharge her. I'll file the papers. But no training tomorrow." Chiko ordered. He left, and I pulled the shopping bag from the floor. 

"Here Shinobu-chan. I got fresh clothes for you. They should be soft." I said softly. Shinobu looked up at me, and relaxed further. She nodded. Kushina reached forward, and dressed Shinobu. A sleeveless dark blue shirt, a black long sleeved jacket with a hood and bright blue strips running down the sleeves, and black leggings. Kushina gently tugged the hood up, and Shinobu sighed. She hesitated, then gave Akane a hug. The fox let out a purr. 

"I like this kit Kushina-sama. If you need help, call me. I'll update the clan." 

"Thank you Akane." Shinobu whimpered again, not letting go. Akane rubbed her head against Shinobu's arms reassuringly. 

"I'll be back kit." I reached into the bag and pulled out a plush cat. 

"It's not the same, but you can hold onto this if it would help." I offered. Shinobu hesitated, then, gave Akane another hug and took the plushie. She stroked it, and sighed. Akane dismissed herself, and Kushina held out her arms. Shinobu hesitated, then carefully crawled into Kushina's lap. Kushina stroked her hair. Shinobu tensed briefly, but then relaxed again. With her free hand, she tugged on my sleeve. I stroked her hair gently as well. 

"You feel safe with us?" I asked softly. Shinobu nodded. We sat in silence for a few minutes until Chiko returned, and handed me Shinobu's discharge papers.

"Thank you, Chiko-san, for everything." I said. Chiko nodded.

"Of course. I've already offered to be Shinobu-chan's doctor, and the Hokage agreed. Better to have someone who won't hurt her treat her than someone else." 

"Thank you." I said again. 

"Let's go." the ANBU captain said. Shinobu looked up at the new voice, tensing. But again, she relaxed. That was interesting. Kushina stood, readjusting Shinobu in her arms. The ANBU captain wove a genjutsu over herself, and kept pace with us. We headed outside into the ever darkening evening. Shinobu clutched her cat a bit closer, and buried her head into Kushina's chest. Kushina and I exchanged a look, then headed to the Hokage's office in Shunshins. The Hokage's secretary nodded us in, and we stepped inside. To my surprise, Shikaku and Inoichi were also there.

"Inoichi, Shikaku, what are you doing here?" I asked as the ANBU captain stood by the Hokage's desk.

"The Hokage's been busy today. Tou-san said that we'd probably be better for this meeting, since we're friends of yours. If you're relaxed, Shinobu-chan might be more inclined to relax as well." Shikaku explained, sprawling casually in a chair. Inoichi smiled. 

"You certainly are relaxed."

"Of course. It's too troublesome to be proper all the time." I snorted. Yes, that certainly sounded like my friends. 

"We have a lot to discuss." The Hokage said. Privacy seals settled in place as Kushina and I sat in chairs.

"How are you doing, Shinobu-chan?" Inoichi asked kindly. Shinobu had shifted in Kushina's arms again so she could see the room, but didn't make a sound.

"She hasn't spoken a word all day. But she admitted she feels safe with us." I answered. 

"That's good." Inoichi said with a relieved sigh. The Hokage looked at Shinobu.

"I want to start with an apology. I didn't know how bad your situation was. Otter and her team has reported that your hands were bandaged at one point when you were at the Academy, and that a few, less serious incidents had occurred, but no one expected this. So I am very sorry that you were hurt like this." I blew out a frustrated breath. I wanted to yell how could the Hokage not know, he was supposed to know everything in the village, and he just admitted he had ANBU watching Shinobu. Yet I hadn't noticed things either.

"No one takes any blame, except me. I should have had her placed with a family that would have cared for her. I'm going to try to correct what I can now." The Hokage said, looking at me, before looking at Otter. He must have gathered what my thought process was. I sighed, but nodded. He had apologized. Shinobu nodded as the Hokage looked back at her.

"So what now?" Kushina asked.

"Now, we discuss options." Shikaku said.

"That's the other reason you two are here." I said. Shikaku nodded.

"We, and our fathers have already been talking with Hokage-sama today. But the news delivery, was left to those that you trust the most." Inoichi explained.

"We all know how much Shinobu-chan is insulted on the streets. The incidents at the orphanage have, unfortunately, proved how many in the village dislike her for only being different. She may do better if she's offered anonymity." The Hokage said.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"She could join ANBU. She'd be trained, cared for, and protected. She'd be placed with a team that wouldn't judge her, that would be there for her no matter what. Specifically, she'd be placed on my team. She wouldn't be sent on missions until she was older, and passed ANBU tests." Otter replied. I froze, not sure what to think. Yes, it offered anonymity, but I didn't know if ANBU was really the right place for Shinobu right now. Kushina looked more upset, and unconsciously tightened her hold on Shinobu.

"But at her age!" she protested. Shinobu whimpered slightly, and Kushina immediately let go. Inoichi's eyes snapped to the young girl, concerned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Shinobu-chan!" Shinobu looked at her cautiously, then curled up again.

"Even for her age, she is gifted. Safety measures, like keeping her from missions until she's older, and only allowing her training, would help. Yet, she seems alright with you. So, ANBU is only one option." Shikaku said. Kushina relaxed some.

"What would happen to her genin team with that option?" I asked, wanting more information.

"You would still continue to train Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan. Since Shinobu-chan is comfortable with them, she could still visit them, and other friends. But she'd live in ANBU headquarters." The Hokage said. I thought about that. Honestly, it wasn't a bad plan, or option. But I just didn't know if it was the right one.

"And the other options?"

"I think we can all agree that she won't go back to the orphanage. Next option, she could live in her own apartment." Shikaku said. I glanced at Shinobu again, to see her head buried into Kushina's chest.

"She was trying to do that. I don't think she saved up quite enough. Not enough for her to rent the apartment, and actually have supplies to live on." I said quietly.

"Then the last option, would be give her a guardian. We would place her with someone she already trusts. That list, is yourselves, Sakumo, and Chihiro-chan's parents." The Hokage said. "The question is who she would be best suited to being with."

"Hokage-sama, after observing, I think you'd be fine in placing Shinobu-chan with Kushina and Minato. She's comfortable with them, and they're already aware of her quirks. With the healing that she needs to do, it would also be best to have a stable presence around. Sakumo is gone often on missions. " Inoichi said.

"I agree. The other issue with the Uchiha clan option, is clan politics." Shikaku added. It only took me a few seconds to understand. Having one clan control a jichūriki would lead to an imbalance in clan power. None of the other clans would stand for it. It was a bit different with the Hatake, and Uzumaki, since they were dying clans. The Hokage nodded, sighed, and chewed on his pipe.

"What do you think Shinobu-chan?" Shinobu didn't reply. The Hokage frowned, but Inoichi shook his head. We waited, silence falling. Finally, Shinobu nodded, clinging to Kushina a bit more tightly.

"Then you can stay with Minato and Kushina. Now the decision has been made, let's clarify a few more things. What we speak of next is S-rank, and may not leave this room." The Hokage waited until all of us nodded. "Shinobu-chan is a jinchuriki. She originally came from the Land of Lightening. For this reason, and others, Otter and her team will continue to watch Shinobu-chan. You'll meet the rest of the team now." Three ANBU appeared in the office, standing next to Otter.

"Hello Shinobu-chan." the boar masked agent said kindly. Shinobu gave the team a tiny wave.

"Meet ANBU agents Crane, Boar, and Dog." Otter said.

"We typically work in pairs. Otter and I were on shift this morning. We are so sorry we didn't do more." Dog said, after a quick glance at the Hokage and Otter. Shinobu looked at the team, and simply nodded. The Hokage smiled slightly.

"As I'm sure Chiko has already told you, he will be her doctor, as he is for Kushina. That should help when she starts more dangerous missions."

"I'd also recommend therapy sessions with me. I will not push, or insist, but given what you have been through, they might help." Inoichi said. Shinobu didn't make any reaction.

"If she does want to, we'll visit." I promised. "She's been coming out of her shell recently, with my team."

"That's very good. Just let me know." Inoichi agreed.

"We'll visit in a few days. It's been too long since we've caught up. You can be a very troublesome friend Minato." Shikaku added. I smiled.

"Sounds good."

"I think that is all for tonight. I'll have all the paperwork setting Shinobu-chan up as your ward done by tomorrow. Stop in tomorrow to get it." The Hokage said. Kushina and I nodded.

"Yes Hokage-sama." The Hokage smiled at Shinobu.

"I hope you like your new home Shinobu-chan." Kushina and I stood, bowed to the Hokage, and left. It was completely dark out now, and we hadn't had any lunch or dinner. I put an arm around Kushina, and touched Shinobu on the arm.

"Ready to go home?" Shinobu hesitated for a minute, then, nodded. I smiled, and with a Hiraishin jump, we were home. Kushina heated leftovers for us to eat, and we sat quietly after dinner. I started looking through a sealing scroll, Shinobu in my lap. Kushina cleaned up the kitchen, putting together a shopping list.

"Hey Minato? I'd like to head to the Fox Home sooner rather than later. If I'm not back tonight, I'll be back by tomorrow morning." Kushina said, finishing up. 

"Alright. Good luck!" Kushina went through her summoning again, and Akane came again. Kushina explained her request quickly, and within a minute, both were gone in a burst of smoke. I felt a tug on my sleeve again, and looked down to see Shinobu studying the scroll I had curiously. I smiled, and lowered it so that she could see it too. Occasionally she'd point to something, and I'd explain. She had started on actually copying the basic explosive notes Konoha produced for missions, but this scroll was more advanced. It was a really nice way to spend the rest of the evening. Once I realized Shinobu was getting tired again, I carried her to a guest room, and gave her the pale blue nightgown I had bought. Then, once she was ready, I tucked her into bed.

"I'll see you in the morning, alright?" I said. Shinobu squeezed my hand, then sighed, and curled up. I smiled, and left the room. Considering Kushina wasn't sure when she'd be back, I decided to go to bed myself. 

The next morning, I woke, and stretched. I realized quickly that Kushina was sound asleep in the bed, a grin on her face. I grinned. Seemed like the visit to the Fox Home had gone well. I got up and dressed, staying quiet. After a late night, I did not want to wake Kushina earlier than she wanted to be up. When Kushina didn't have to get up early, she was a horrid morning person. I didn't mind getting up earlier, even on days off. I thought for a minute. It wouldn't hurt to send a reminder to my team that they had the day off. Though an invitation to hang out later might be in order. Out in the kitchen, I summoned a pair of small toads. Kōsuke and Keroro both saluted.

"Hey Minato boy! What can we do for you?"

"I need you two to send messages to my other students. Remind them that they have today off too. Though I wouldn't mind if they wanted to meet later this afternoon to spend time together. We can still use Training Ground Three." I explained.

"That's the Hatake boy and the Uchiha girl, right?"

"Right."

"Sure thing!" With small puffs of smoke, they disappeared. That matter taken care of, I headed to the guest bedroom to check on Shinobu. I knocked gently at the door.

"Shinobu-chan, it's me." No reply, but I expected that. I quietly opened the door to see Shinobu awake, curled up on the window sill. I noticed her new plush cat was on the bedside table. I frowned slightly, then grabbed the cat, and a blanket from the bed. I gently draped the blanket over Shinobu's shoulders. She didn't tense, but she didn't look at me either.

"Good morning Shinobu-chan. You're up early. Is there something wrong?" Shinobu didn't reply. I offered her the cat, and sat on the floor next to the window.

"It really is ok to be a kid, and let others take care of you from time to time. I know you've been very, very lonely. Kushina and I would would be very happy to not be just friends, but also family." Shinobu hesitantly took the cat. "Kushina and I, we're among the last in our clans. We know that it's important to make our own family. We can help you, if you want us to." Shinobu looked thoughtful at that, but stayed silent. I kept silent for a while, and watched the sun climb higher into the sky.

"We should stop by the orphanage later in the morning, but only to grab your things. After that, we can go shopping. If I've learned one thing by dating Kushina, is to never get in the way of a determined Uzumaki." I said after a while. Shinobu hesitated. Then, she reached out a hand to my own hand, and started tracing characters on my palm. 

_I'm...scared. I...didn't...go back..._

"You won't get into trouble. Shinobu, you know it's horrible for people to treat you so poorly. I'll be blunt. They tortured you. Everyone in the office last night understands that. The Hokage himself didn't want you to go back there. The orphanage is a bad place for you. Besides, since Kushina and I are your guardians, Yakushi-san doesn't get any more say in how to treat you." Shinobu blinked, hesitated, then crawled into my lap, squeezing hard. I smiled, and gently wrapped my arms around her.

"See? Kushina and I will take care of you." Shinobu curled into me, but she had relaxed. I could feel her signature for the first time since yesterday morning. I felt her trace more characters on my hand.

_Thank you._

"Of course. And, as your guardians, we're going to make sure you have proper clothes, and equipment. You're not an orphan anymore." Shinobu gave me a very tentative, small smile. I was pleased she was smiling. Her smile faltered.

 _This is ok?_ she asked, rubbing my hand. 

"Of course. You do what you need to so you can be comfortable." I reassured her. Shinobu sighed with relief. We sat in silence for a few more minute before I asked another question. 

"Can I ask you what you're doing up so early?"

 _I...I like sunrises._ Shinobu admitted. 

"They are pretty. Lots of colors." I agreed.

_Quiet. Not many up._

"True. Then I guess this is your favorite time of day." Shinobu nodded. I stood, holding onto her as I did so. She wriggled to get down. I rearranged the blanket so it would stay around Shinobu's shoulders, like a cape. She grasped the ends, and looked up at me. I offered her a hand.

"Come on. I'll make you a cup of tea while we wait for Kushina to wake up enough to make breakfast." Shinobu took my hand as I headed out to the kitchen. Shinobu stayed next to me, watching as I got the tea started. I felt a tug on my sleeve, then Shinobu started tracing on my hand.

_Why...why don't you?_

"I can cook, but Kushina's cooking is amazing. I'll happily wait if it means getting a meal from her." I poured tea, and gave Shinobu her cup. We enjoyed the tea in the quiet, then both of us sensed when Kushina woke up. She started to head towards the guest room, and I grinned.

"In here Kushina." Kushina popped her head around the corner, then grinned.

"Good morning! Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all. Shinobu-chan enjoys being up early for sunrises."

"Oh, I see. They're pretty ya know! If you pour another cup, I'll make breakfast!" I grinned, and did as Kushina asked as she started pulling out pots.

"So, how did you sleep Shinobu-chan? I hope it wasn't too different." Shinobu traced on my hand again, and I smiled. 

"She slept well. She's been tracing characters on my hand if she wants to talk."

"Oh, that's a great idea! So, what are we doing today? Chiko-san ordered no training."

"I already sent messages to Kakashi-kun and Chihiro-chan. If they want, we can meet later in the afternoon. We'll need to stop at the orphanage quickly to grab any of Shinobu-chan's other things, but it shouldn't take long." Shinobu seemed to be ok with that. Kushina, was thrilled.

"Excellent! That means we can go shopping!" I shook my head, then glanced at Shinobu.

"What did I tell you Shinobu-chan? Never, ever get between an Uzumaki and their goal."

"Hey! I like shopping ya know! Most kunoichi do!" Kushina protested. But she didn't protest further when she noticed Shinobu smiling.

"Well, we can enjoy a nice, leisurely breakfast, clean up, and then head out." I said calmly. We did just that, and Shinobu dressed in her new outfit from yesterday.

"I've got your bag Shinobu-chan. Will it be large enough to fit your other things?" Kushina asked. Shinobu nodded. Her chakra signature disappeared again. That wasn't too surprising.

"One of us will be with you the entire time. And we'll make it very quick." I promised. Shinobu hesitated, then nodded. On the front step, a small monkey summons appeared. I took the message, and read it.

"I'll catch up with you two. The Hokage wants me briefly."

"Ok." Kushina agreed. She ushered Shinobu down the steps. I used Hiraishin to get to the administration center. Then, I headed up to the Hokage's office.

"Ah, Minato. I have the papers establishing you and Kushina as Shinobu-chan's guardians. And you're headed to the orphanage, correct?" The Hokage said, handing me a scroll. I nodded.

"Just to pick up Shinobu-chan's things. Is there anything you need to do?"

"No. I'll take care of it." I looked towards the open window, to see Shikaku's father crouched there.

"Shikasho-sama."

"Good morning Minato-kun." Shikasho hopped inside, then absently caught a scroll the Hokage tossed him.

"Mind if we walk together?"

"Not at all." Shikasho and I left, walking out of the administration center before speaking again.

"As you know, I know what happened yesterday. The Hokage believes it may be time for an overhaul of the orphanage." Shikasho said quietly. I glanced at him. He kept his face neutral, but I could still tell he was completely serious.

"You discussed these things already." I guessed.

"Yes. There was more than one reason you weren't called in until the evening."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I have orders to ask Nonō Yakushi to stand down as the orphanage head. She let children get away with torturing someone their own age or younger. We cannot let that continue. Therefore, the Hokage has asked for volunteers from the Yamanaka clan. They'll be evaluating the children and the remaining staff. Those who were responsible, or chose to look the other way, will be punished." I thought about that. As the Jonin Commander, what he had to say did hold a lot of weight. Especially since Yakushi-san was a former kunoichi herself. I wanted her to be held accountable for her actions...or in this case, lack of. But not all of the people in the orphanage had hurt Shinobu.

"What about the younger children who joined in? They may not have known what was right or wrong." I asked. Shikasho merely nodded.

"The Yamanaka will take care of that as well. I heard a retired kunoichi volunteered for the position of orphanage head when she heard about this."

"Just how far is this incident spreading?"

"Some of it can't be helped. Young Shinobu-chan was carried by two friends, obviously injured, through the village. That caused quite a stir. And you arriving at the hospital caused a few rumors as well. But you also handled things as discreetly as you could. That's helped. But the Nara Clan, and the Yamanaka clan, will not stand for the torture of a five year old girl. She will have our support, and always be welcomed in our compounds."

"You're trying to start turning public attention to her side." I said slowly, realizing. Shikasho shrugged, but then smiled.

"She's been ostracized for too long. Yesterday drove that point home. I don't think you and Kushina-chan would have any complaints."

"No. I'm grateful."

"So, since you're headed that way, I'll just continue to accompany you." Just a few blocks later, we ran into Kushina.

"Minato! There you are, you took longer than I thought!" she scolded.

"I was talking with Shikasho-sama."

"Oh, sorry! Hi Shikasho-sama!" Shikasho smiled.

"Good morning Kushina-chan. I needed to head to the orphanage as well, so I thought I'd walk with Minato-kun. Where is your new ward by the way? I thought she wouldn't leave your sight, given what Shikaku told me." Kushina shrugged.

"I knew you were coming, and we were getting close, so I told her she could run ahead if she wanted. She's only ahead by a block or so. She needed a little bit of space, I think." We walked together for another minute.

"Shikasho-sama, why are you going to the orphanage too?" Kushina asked.

"This entire situation needs to be resolved so no other children suffer as young Shinobu-chan has. The Hokage is looking to overhaul the orphanage. There's already plans in place, so now it's just getting things moving." Shikasho answered. Kushina grinned.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" At that moment, both Kushina and I stiffened as we felt a chakra ping. Very soft, but urgent. A distress call. Shinobu.

"What..." Kushina started, worried. My eyes narrowed.

"Come on."

"Don't go rushing. We'll continue walking like we have. Keep a tight lid on your emotions." Shikasho ordered sharply. Kushina and I didn't dispute the command, even if we didn't understand. Within seconds, we had rounded to corner, to see Shinobu backed against a wall. Only her hands were shaking, but I had never gotten a chakra flare from her before. Normally, she would have used Kawarimi. Something odd was going on. Or more than one thing.

"Shimura-sama." I greeted the elder standing in front of Shinobu. What was Danzo doing here? He didn't get out much. And since he was the only person in the area, Shinobu had to be scared of him.

"Minato-kun. Taking a day off?" Danzo asked, scowling slightly. The scowl increased marginally when he saw Shikasho.

"It is such a nice day. Minato never misses a chance to hang out with me!" Kushina said cheerfully.

"Though in the presence of the Jonin Commander?"

"They've both improved in skills. It wouldn't hurt to reevaluate both of them." Shikasho drawled.

"I see. Well child, perhaps another time. There's a meeting I should get to." Danzo walked past us, and rounded the corner. Shikasho, frowning, bent and offered a hand to Shinobu.

"Come on little one. Let's get to the next street." Shinobu hesitated, looked at me and Kushina, then slowly put her hand in Shikasho's. He gently held her hand as we walked to the next street, which was also empty.

"Shikasho-sama, what was that about?" Kushina burst out. Shikasho's expression was serious. I frowned. This, could not be good.

"All you need to know is to be very careful around Elder Shimura. His interests aren't always what they appear."

"Shinobu-chan, what happened? Are you ok?" I asked softly. Shinobu shook her head, and reached for me. I gently scooped her up. I could feel the tremors running through her body. Another panic attack.

"It'll be ok. Both of us are here, we've got you." I whispered. Shinobu buried her head into my chest. Kushina moved to my side, and started gently stroking Shinobu's hair. Kushina also hummed softly, a lullaby. The tremors slowly eased, then stopped. Good, we had found something else that helped with her panic attacks. 

"Sorry Shinobu-chan. I know you just wanted some space. I didn't think something like this would happen. I'm sorry." Shinobu looked up at Kushina, then held on tight to one of Kushina's hands. Kushina smiled.

"At this rate, let's get this stop done a quickly as possible. Then we'll go home, sort through things, and go shopping." she said. Shinobu nodded, and Kushina gently tugged up the hood on Shinobu's jacket. Shinobu relaxed slightly in my arms. I looked up at Shikasho, to see him smiling.

"You two are very good for her. You make her feel comfortable."

"We try."

"You're succeeding. Keep listening to what she needs, and everything should turn out just fine." We walked the remaining distance to the orphanage in silence, Kushina and I entered the orphanage, Shikasho behind us. Almost immediately, we ran into Yakushi-san.

"Oh, Minato-san. You came to visit? I...now Shinobu-chan just what are you doing?" Yakushi-san demanded, seeing the small girl in my arms. Shinobu curled in tighter, and I felt her hands trembling.

"You never came back last night, and you know when curfew is. Did you really spend all night out on the street? Unbelievable. I know you don't like it here, but that's no excuse for trying to run away. Minato-san, I'm sorry you had to deal with this, but thank you for bringing her back. You can set her down now, she's perfectly capable of walking on her own feet."

"Yakushi-san, Shinobu-chan spent the night with us." Kushina said tightly. Yakushi-san shook her head.

"You didn't have to do that. She's a genin, despite her age. She's moving out soon anyway. Actually, today. The deadline's up. Get your things together, and say goodbye to the others here."

"Yakushi-san, that is enough." I said, voice calm. But my anger grew with each passing moment. This, this was how Shinobu had been treated on a daily basis? Yakushi-san looked at me with exasperation.

"Minato-san, with respect, at this moment she is still under my jurisdiction as the head of this orphanage. I don't know how she managed to get you wrapped around her finger, since she's never made friends here." I took a deep breath.

"Kushina, can you get Shinobu-chan's things?" Kushina nodded, and gently took Shinobu from my arms. Shinobu went willingly, but did curl into Kushina as tightly as she could. Kushina whispered something, then, they disappeared up the stairs. Yakushi-san scowled, and turned on me.

"Honestly Minato-san, what is going on? I told you, she's under my-" I approached Yakushi-san, finally letting killing intent leak out. I kept it directed solely on Yakushi-san, knowing full well that there were young children in the building.

"Not since last night. As of last night, the Hokage allowed Kushina and I to take custodianship of Shinobu-chan. We are her rightful guardians now. I am ashamed that one of my former classmates would be so cruel to a five year old child. Barely acknowledging her, forcing her into situations that she had no wish to be in, turning a blind eye to the rampant bullying, and torture inflicted on her by other children in the orphanage. How dare you." I said, my voice icy. Yakushi-san backed up into a wall, but still protested.

"It wasn't torture, just roughhousing. I am still head of the orphanage."

"Yakushi-san." Shikasho said. Yakushi-san looked at him with some relief.

"Nara-sama. I hope you haven't had to deal with this disagreement long."

"Yakushi-san, that is enough. I saw the medical report yesterday. I think stab wounds, cuts, and bruises, not to mention broken bones, inflicted on a defenseless person would constitute as torture. Oh, I know you'll say she's not defenseless, that she's a genin. But if she doesn't fight back, because she knows she'll get into more trouble, I would categorize that as defenseless. Furthermore, I know this was perhaps the worst incident, but certainly not the first. So, repeated torture, and harassment. Minato-kun and Kushina-chan, as young Shinobu-chan's guardians, have every right to remove her from such an abusive place. Finally, you are no longer the head of the orphanage." As Shikasho spoke, his own killing intent permeating the air. Yakushi-san went pale.

"All this fuss over one child?"

"I suspect, that it has not only been young Shinobu-chan who has been excessively bullied. The Hokage agrees. I am here to tell you that you have been removed from your position. A replacement is already being established." Shikasho said.

"And Yakushi-san." Kushina called sweetly from the foot of the stairs. Shinobu's bag over her shoulder, Shinobu still curled up in her arms, but watching the scene in amazement. Yakushi-san practically glared at Kushina, but Kushina's glare was far colder. Tendrils of Kushina's hair danced in the air, almost like tails. 

"If you ever try hurting Shinobu-chan again, or encourage others to do so, or even think of doing any of that, I will hunt you down. Next time, you won't get a warning. Believe it." Yakushi-san paled even further at the combined killing intent leaking off of us.

"Yakushi-san, good day." I said coldly.

"I'd pack up your things, if I were you. I believe your replacement will be here in an hour or so." Shikasho added. We left, and Shikasho smiled.

"That, was actually rather fun. Have a good day!"

"Thank you!" Kushina called. Then, we headed home.

"I think the orphanage might be a better place after all of this." I mused, as Kushina and Shinobu went through Shinobu's things. Kushina smiled.

"I think so too. Shinobu-chan...can you tell us what Elder Shimura said? Why did he scare you?" Shinobu curled up tightly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." I said, concerned. Shinobu shook her head. Kushina and I waited patiently. Finally, Shinobu reached out for our hands. 

_He...he said...he'd show me around. Visit...visit places I didn't know._ she traced shakily. 

"That's strange. He's not usually that interested in people. He's known as a recluse." Shinobu nodded.

_He...he...his chakra...felt wrong. So wrong. Eager...greed....anger. Lots...lots of anger...when you came._

"You didn't feel safe running, did you." I guessed. Shinobu shook her head. I sighed. I was so tired of people making Shinobu feel unsafe!

"I don't know what he was doing there, or why he was asking you those questions. He won't be able to hurt you. We have strong security around the house-"

"Some Uzumaki specials. We're known for our sealing abilities." Kushina put in with a smile.

"And we can update the house seals, and add some in your new room. Be a bit more careful when you go out around the village, ok? We'll keep an eye on things." I certainly would. I didn't like Danzo in the first place, he was so arrogant and condescending. But now, I wanted to know just what he wanted with Shinobu. Shinobu nodded, and embraced me, then Kushina. Kushina smiled.

"It'll be ok." She turned back to Shinobu's things. "Let's see...Shinobu-chan, is it ok if we just get you new things? Your current things are worn." I spotted small holes, a few tears in the neatly folded clothes Shinobu had. She didn't have many either, just one spare outfit and a set of pajamas. Shinobu hesitated, then paused. She looked thoughtful, and finally, nodded.

"Ok. What do you want to keep then? Just your weapons, hitai-ate, and your bells?" Shinobu hesitated again, before nodding.

"Ok! Then we're set to go!" Kushina said happily.

"Oh, and Shinobu, if you want, you can wear your hitai-ate all the time now. You don't have to worry about what others might think." Shinobu hesitated again, but then put her hitai-ate in its usual place around her neck.

"Want a ride?" Shinobu nodded, and hopped up into my arms. We set off into the market. The morning sun still high, we headed into the same clothing store I had stopped in last night.

"Alright. You pick what you want." I said, gently putting her down.

"Ooh! You can get shinobi clothes, and training outfits, and streetwear-" Kushina said. I shook my head.

"Kushina, might you be getting ahead of yourself?"

"I'm only saying that there are options!" I laughed. I felt a tug on my pants, and looked down. Shinobu had chosen a few things already. A blue yukata style top, trimmed in white, with black leggings. A turquoise shirt, gray shinobi pants.

"Can we get you a few more outfits? Just so you have a few spares? Training and missions will wear these down." Kushina said hopefully. Shinobu nodded. Kushina helped her pick out a few more clothes, then we got her a couple of heavier duty clothes for missions. After that, it was a shinobi store for extra equipment, a calligraphy shop for Shinobu's own set, a bookstore for a few books, and an origami shop. Kushina disappeared at one point, and came back with a can of paint, brushes, a scroll under one arm, and a small bonsai tree.

"We have to get your room properly in shape! I've got furniture sets and other things in the scroll. Oh, and bonsai trees are easy to take care of. If you're gone, I'll take care of it, and if we're all gone, Mikoto doesn't go on missions as much. She's be happy to take care of it." Shinobu looked very, very overwhelmed, but I could sense her chakra signature. Not to mention, a slight smile hadn't left her face since we finished in the clothing store.

 _Thank you. So much._ she traced on the backs of our hands.

"Let's get home, do laundry, and finish moving you in." I said, ruffling her hair. I looked up as I sensed three familiar chakra signatures approaching us, and saw Chihiro dragging Kakashi along, Sakumo in their wake. Kakashi didn't even look annoyed.

"Sensei!" Chihiro called happily, waving. Yet she slid to a stop in front of Shinobu, and both she and Kakashi gave Shinobu gentle hugs. Shinobu embraced them back.

"Chihiro-chan, Kakashi-kun, Sakumo-senpai. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We got your message, but we wanted to see if Shinobu-chan was really ok." Kakashi admitted.

"And Dad and Mom offered a dinner party." Chihiro added. Sakumo smiled.

"I figured you wouldn't mind the company, or catching up with an old friend."

"Well..." On the one hand, I had no problems with my students coming over. On the other hand, I didn't want to overwhelm Shinobu further. Still, she did seem happy to see her teammates. Kushina sighed.

"Oh, come on Minato! Some time with friends will probably do Shinobu-chan good, and more help moving in wouldn't hurt."

"Moving in?" Sakumo asked curiously. I nodded.

"Kushina and I were given guardianship of Shinobu-chan."

"That's great! Shinobu-chan, you're getting more family!" Chihiro cheered.

"Chihiro-chan, would Aki-san mind if we had the dinner party at our house?" Kushina asked. Chihiro considered, then shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I'll go ask!" Chihiro darted back down the street.

"You ok with this Shinobu-chan?" I asked. Shinobu nodded, a little shyly, but her smile had grown.

"Did you finish shopping or have you been pulling poor Minato and Shinobu-chan along?" Sakumo asked Kushina. She flushed.

"Hey! We haven't been shopping that long ya know!"

"Two hours." I interjected.

"See, not that long!"

"Given some of your all day shopping trips with Mikoto and Tsume, that's not bad at all." Sakumo conceded. Kakashi looked up curiously.

"Tou-san?"

"Kushina and her genin teammates liked their shopping. If they got a day off, they'd spend the entire day out in the markets. Sometimes they'd drag me along."

"Sakumo-sensei, sometimes you enjoyed it!"

"I enjoyed your antics and bickering more than I enjoyed the shopping part." Before Kushina could reply, we heard a shout from further down the street.

"Kushina-san! I haven't seen you in ages!" Chihiro slid to a halt again as her parents came up to us. She started talking with Kakashi, Shinobu listening, as Kushina grinned at her friend.

"Aki-san! I thought you'd be at work!"

"I had today and tomorrow off. Same with Daido."

"Hello Minato-san." Daido added with a smile.

"So, did you and Minato finally finish moving in together?"

"Aki, we finished...well, ok, there's a few boxes left. But we finished weeks ago!"

"So what are you shopping for today?"

"Shinobu-chan's moving in with us! So, we're shopping for her!" Daido shot me a look, then moved a little closer.

"Did the situation finally get resolved?" he asked quietly while the others chatted. I studied him.

"You knew?"

"Not everything. I figured out from Chihiro's stories that Shinobu-chan was treated poorly. And I heard what happened yesterday. But Chihiro also asked that I say nothing. Shinobu-chan was apparently terrified that she'd get in trouble if adults found out what happened."

"Rightfully so." I murmured. Daido inhaled sharply, and his Sharingan activated briefly before he sighed.

"I'm glad you and Kushina-san are taking her in. I just wish there was something else that could be done."

"The Nara, and Yamanaka clans are working on a solution with the Hokage. And they promised help, if we needed it." I explained. Daido studied me again, then nodded.

"Is that so? Good. You might get Uchiha support as well. Nee-san was furious when Chihiro came home yesterday, and told us what happened."

"Thank you."

"Minato, we're all going to our house! Come on!" Kushina called, moving up the street already. I shook my head but smiled. This afternoon would be very, very busy. As soon as we got back, Kushina started laundry.

"Oh, Shinobu-chan, you pick which room you want! You don't have to stay in the same room! Just let Minato know so we can start setting things up!" Kushina called from the washroom. I pouted.

"Hey!"

"I'm going to be busy with Aki-san in the kitchen ya know!"

"Alright, alright!"

"Oh, I don't have enough food for this many people!" Kushina cried out. I heard Sakumo's booming laugh from the living room as I followed Shinobu. She peeked in the other guest rooms, but returned to the one she had been given the previous night.

"Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded, and pointed at the windows. I smiled.

"Then let's get started." Chihiro and Kakashi both grabbed brushes, as did Shinobu. "Just try not to get everything covered in paint! I'm going to go get that furniture scroll."

I briefly paused, sensing the house. Kushina and Aki had already disappeared back to the market. Daido and Sakumo, in the living room. I headed to the living room, checking for the shopping scrolls. The scroll for ninja equipment, the scroll for personal things, and the scroll for bathroom things were right next to the furniture scroll. The clothes scroll, was of course in the washroom. I grabbed all of the scrolls. I could at least leave them outside the door while the room was painted.

"Are the kids painting?" Daido asked. I nodded.

"They are." Sakumo and Daido exchanged a look.

"We'd better grab extra clothes. We'll be back." Sakumo said. Daido and Sakumo both disappeared in shunshins, and I paused. Surely it wouldn't be that bad...then I remembered the first dinner party at Chihiro's house. And Shinobu had shown she liked a prank. Grabbing the scrolls, I headed back to Shinobu's room, and paused in the doorway. Chihiro and Kakashi were laughing, Shinobu smiling, and they were covered in light blue paint. At least the floor and the ceiling were clear.

"I think I misjudged." I muttered. Chihiro turned, caught my eye, and shrugged, grinning.

"We didn't cover everything Sensei." I smiled, but studied how much paint was on the walls, how much was on my students, and how much was left in the can.

"I think I'm going to need to grab more paint. Shinobu-chan, any other colors, or do you like the blue?" Shinobu thought for a minute, then quickly traced on my hand.

_Light gray?_

"Done. I'll be back. Kakashi-kun, Chihiro-chan, your parents are all out getting things, but Sakumo-senpai and Daido-san should be back soon. You'll be ok?"

"We'll be fine Sensei." Kakashi promised. I smiled. I stopped in the bathroom to fill a spare basket with Shinobu's things, then Shunshined to get to the market. Ten minutes later, I appeared back home, more brushes and a can of silvery gray paint in one hand, another can of blue paint in the other. I heard laughter from Shinobu's room, and saw Daido and Sakumo standing in the doorway, laughing at the kids, who were even more covered in paint. How was that possible?

"I was only gone ten minutes!" I protested.

"Chihiro might have initiated a paint war." Daido said. I looked at Chihiro, who just shrugged. Shinobu looked rather pleased with herself though, and I studied her. She only had a couple more paint splatters, compared to Kakashi and Chihiro, who were absolutely covered. I grinned.

"Shinobu-chan, did you manage to dodge most of the paint?" She nodded.

"Good job! I brought more paint, but can the paint war be over please? We still have to set up furniture, arrange things, and now you three need baths, and more laundry needs to be done."

"Ok Sensei." Finally, Shinobu's room got painted, three walls light blue, and one wall silvery gray. The kids cleaned up their brushes, then got baths. I dried the walls with a gentle wind jutsu, and started looking through the furniture scroll. Bedding, a dresser, a chair and desk, bookshelves, weapon hooks, scroll holders, lanterns. Now that everything was clean, we could actually set everything up.

"Minato, any place we can wash out all this paint?" Sakumo called out. I headed to the bathroom, where Sakumo had been supervising the baths. Kakashi, still covered in paint, was waiting patiently outside.

"We're done Sakumo-sensei!" Chihiro called.

"Hang on Minato." Sakumo went in, followed by Kakashi.

"Come on, Dad's really good at doing my hair!" Chihiro chirped, darting out of the bathroom, followed by Shinobu. I waited, then Sakumo emerged with a carefully wrapped bundle of paint filled clothes.

"This way." We passed by the entrance of the living room, and I smiled as I saw Shinobu smiling as Chihiro chattered while Daido brushed out his daughter's hair. I got Shinobu's clean laundry, then turned to Sakumo.

"You've got this?"

"I do. Paint can't be too much worse than mud stains, and it's better than blood stains. I'll get the laundry started once I'm done."

"Thanks." I left Sakumo to work on getting the paint out of everything. Once back in Shinobu's room, I activated the seal for the desk first, positioning it by one end of the window, along with the chair.

"Sensei, can we help?" I turned to see Kakashi, Chihiro, and Shinobu paint free, in clean clothes with their hair still damp.

"Sure. Shinobu-chan, the other scrolls are just outside the door. Want to grab them?" Shinobu nodded. Together, we got the rest of the furniture positioned, weapon hooks on the walls, and Shinobu's things in their proper places. Kushina had grabbed a couple of surprises for Shinobu, which included another plushie, a blanket, and packets of glitter. Hmm. Prank materials. I couldn't help chuckling when I saw Shinobu's face. Surprise, but happiness. By the time we finished, Kushina and Aki had returned, and the kitchen already smelled fantastic. I poked my head in curiously. Miso soup on the stove, ramen, and a large sushi platter were already in the works.

"Oh, good! Minato, can you bring that tray out to the others? Late lunch of sorts, but dinner will be earlier." Kushina said, a little distractedly.

"Sure thing. We've finished setting everything up. The kids got baths, because they got covered in paint."

"Did Daido encourage them again?" Aki asked, slightly disapprovingly. I shook my head.

"Not this time. Chihiro-chan apparently started a paint war." Aki and Kushina burst out laughing.

"Well, the thing is that they're clean now and Shinobu-chan has her room set up. Let Sakumo-sensei know that if he wants to help, he can." Kushina said.

"I will." I brought out the tray of tea, mochi, and onigiri out to the others, told Sakumo that he could help in the kitchen, then sat down. Shinobu curled up in my lap after eating, and fell asleep. Chihiro also took the opportunity to nap, as did Kakashi. I chatted quietly with the others, informing them of what had happened in the past couple of days, and a few things that Shikasho had explained.

"I wonder if they'll want help at the orphanage. There's a few retired shinobi and civilians in the clan who wouldn't mind helping." Aki mused.

"All I can suggest is to ask the Hokage." I said, shrugging. Aki nodded.

"I need to check with Mikoto-sama and Kazou-sama. Though I don't think it would be hard to convince them. They're already working on improving things within the clan for branch members."

"That's good."

"Well, we'll see how everything goes. How much training are you going to be doing this week?" Sakumo asked.

"I'll probably check their nature releases starting tomorrow. We'll take it a bit easier, give everyone time to adjust."

"Sounds good."

"Dad?" Chihiro asked, yawning. Daido smiled.

"I'm here sweetie. You ok?" Chihiro stretched, but didn't move from her spot on Daido's lap.

"Nightmare." she mumbled. Daido stroked her hair.

"You want to talk about it?" Chihiro hesitated, but then her eyes found Shinobu, still asleep on my lap. She relaxed, and shook her head.

"I'll be ok."

"Have you been teaching Chihiro fire releases?" Daido asked curiously after a few minutes of silence.

"I know some, that aren't clan." I admitted. Daido grinned.

"Good. So many Uchiha think that our fire releases are the only ones, and won't learn any others."

"Clan techniques are important to learn, so that those techniques live on. But there's always more to learn." Kushina agreed.

"Fair." Shinobu stirred, and blinked sleepily at me. I smiled, and stroked her hair as she continued to wake up. Kakashi had started to wake up too.

"Sensei? Will you teach us more techniques?" Chihiro yawned again. I grinned.

"Soon. I have to double check how your techniques are coming along." "

Ok."

"Dinner's ready!" Kushina called out after ten minutes. We continued to discuss various clan techniques over dinner, then the kids helped with dishes, and we wrapped things up. Despite her nap, Shinobu still looked tired, and a bit overwhelmed.

"Meet at our usual training ground at seven." I told Kakashi and Chihiro before they left. Both of them nodded.

"See you."

"Well Shinobu, think it'll be ok here?" I asked. Shinobu nodded, and looked at both Kushina and I. She smiled.

_Thank you._

"Of course. We're family." Kushina said. We tucked Shinobu into bed, then went to bed ourselves. It had been another very long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter! Hope you enjoyed! This was a hard one to push out.


	11. Chapter 10: Girls Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, and training.

Over the next weeks, Shinobu slowly got used to living with Kushina and I. We made sure to always double check with her about things, to give her space if she needed, but reminded her very frequently that she had family now. Shinobu was still very quiet, never speaking. It worried us, despite the fact that we still had ways of communicating.

"It's called being nonverbal. It can happen after someone has experienced trauma, that they shut down. It will be Shinobu-chan's choice when, or if, she decides to start speaking again." Inoichi explained, when he and Shikaku visited. I thought about that. It made sense. 

"We still worry. She's been having nightmares." Inoichi frowned. 

"How bad?" I shivered slightly. Shinobu's screams, were something I'd never forget.

"The first few times, she woke up screaming. She felt bad about it, but we reassured her it was ok. I think it's slowly getting better, she hasn't woken up screaming recently. But she comes to our room often."

"I'll talk with her, and make sure she's doing alright. You did the right thing, Minato."

"Thanks. Sometimes, it's hard to feel like we are." I admitted. 

"Trust me, you're doing well. Just continue being safe people for her, and listening to her needs, and it'll be ok. Now, how are you talking with her?"

"She'll trace characters on our hands." 

"That's good. I would recommend teaching her sign language. That gives her more room, and another way to talk." 

"She already knows a few fields signs, same with her teammates." I said. Inoichi smiled.

"Teach her more then. I wouldn't mind teaching her either. It'll let her communicate effectively with others, without speaking, and if civilians don't understand, she'll have her teammates to help. And since one of her triggers is touch, this helps too."

"Ok." We waited until Shikaku had finished his game of shogi with Shinobu. She was learning quickly, as she did with everything else.

"How did it go?" I asked. Shinobu looked up at me, and smiled. I grinned.

"Good. Inoichi wants to teach you things too." I left Shinobu to her new lesson, as I worked on making dinner. Kushina, unfortunately, had been called away for a mission. But she was due to return soon. My friends left after dinner, and Shinobu spent the time until bed working on her calligraphy, and basic storage seals I had started to teach her. I sat at the table with her, going over more complex seals that I planned on teaching all my students to use. We wouldn't be doing D-ranks forever, so knowing how to use storage seals, and explosives, were good things to know. Shinobu had also became Kushina's apprentice when she showed her aptitude for sealing. That, delighted Kushina to no end.

The days continued to pass by quickly. Kakashi and Chihiro were more than happy to learn more sign language, so that worked its way into our training sessions. We constantly practiced it on the in village missions we had. Missions themselves were a bit easier. We still got missions for civilians who didn't trust Shinobu, but we also got more requests from the Nara, Yamanaka, and Inuzuka. Shinobu got greetings from those clan members on the streets now, which made being in the village easier. After some coaching from Inoichi, Shinobu learned to look roughly at clients, but not meet their eyes, so that made things easier too.

We got invited over for dinner at Chihiro's house fairly frequently. Occasionally, Mikoto and Fugaku were invited, as was Obito. He, and Kakashi often butted heads. Kakashi's natural talent frustrated Obito, and Kakashi unfortunately flaunted it. Chihiro usually started yelling at both of them though if arguments got out of hand. That, usually resulted in Daido taking all three of them into the yard and dousing them with water. Shinobu helped a couple of times, too, and her smile was always worth it. Everyone also got invited over to our house for dinner often too, including Kushina's other genin teammate, Tsume Inuzuka. Those nights were even louder, but no one minded too much. Rin, since she couldn't make dinner, came occasionally to the training ground after the Academy let out. Sometimes Obito came too. Rin brought stories of her classmates, and the orphanage.

"It's really much more relaxed. Yamanaka-san is so nice to everyone, and she and the other new aides help us with homework. We're allowed to practice jutsu now, as long as it's out in the yard. The biggest bullies were given grueling chores for weeks, and I think a few of them were dropped from the Academy program." Rin explained on our lunch break.

"Seriously?" Chihiro asked curiously. Rin nodded.

"I think it was something about how if a kid couldn't treat people right, they had no business getting more powerful to further hurt others."

"Huh."

"Oh, and I think the best part is, that there's a couple chores, that if we help, we get paid a little money for it. Some of the older kids were really happy about that. They were nervous about getting kicked out with nothing."

"It sounds like it's a much nicer place to be." I said. Rin nodded happily.

"It really is." She smiled at Shinobu, and Shinobu tossed a paper shuriken her way. Rin smiled at the message.

"What sort of chores have you gotten to do?" Kakashi asked.

"I help with laundry sometimes, and the cooking. And one of the aides took me through basic first aid when I mentioned I was tired of not being able to help my friends. I think I want to take you up on your offer Chihiro-chan."

"Oh, sure. I'll check with Mom this evening."

"Thank you!"

"What offer?" I asked curiously.

"Since Mom's at the hospital, and Rin-chan's interested in medic things, I told her I'd talk to Mom if she ever wanted to volunteer, or learn."

"Oh. That's actually a really good idea. Chihiro-chan is the best medic on the team, I think because she started learning before we got together. She's more advanced in medical techniques than either Shinobu-chan or Kakashi-kun." I mused. Rin looked at my team, a little surprised.

"You all get lessons?"

"Through Chiko-sensei. We figured, that if all the team knew techniques, it might be a bit easier. Same reason we're all getting lessons in kenjutsu, and fuinjutsu." Kakashi said, shrugging.

"Oh, I see. I think I just want to focus on the medic part though."

"If you advance more than we do, can we compare techniques?" Chihiro asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Rin promised. Shortly after that, Rin headed back to the Academy for afternoon classes, and we continued working on jutsu. Mostly taijutsu, with an emphasis on speed and timing. But we also worked on incorporating weapons into the various attacks.

At our next training session, a few days later, both Rin and Obito had come. Rin worked on chakra control, Obito on clan techniques alongside Chihiro. I smiled as I heard Chihiro's patient coaching. She'd make a fine sensei one day. Kakashi and Shinobu, I had working on pairs exercises. Out of the three of my students, I suspected Kakashi and Shinobu's combat styles fit together the best. A talk with Sakumo had confirmed that. So now, we were working on their timing.

"Chihiro! I got it!" Obito yelled triumphantly. I looked towards the Uchiha cousins to see the straw targets burning merrily.

"That's great Obito! I knew you could!" Kakashi rolled his eyes, then ducked hurriedly under a stream of water. I shook my head. He really couldn't be distracted right now. Still, he got back on track quickly. Once it started to get dark, I whistled for everyone to come over. Obito still grinning triumphantly, Chihiro and Rin pleased, and Kakashi and Shinobu satisfied with their work.

"Shinobu-chan, Rin! Did you see?"

"I did!" Rin said happily. Shinobu nodded.

"And how long did it take?" Kakashi asked impatiently. Obito scowled.

"Baka! Not everyone can be a genius! I work as hard as I can!"

"Maybe so, but it shouldn't take that long to learn a jutsu in your own clan style, much less your own affinity."

"Take that back!" Obito cried, lunging for Kakashi. Kakashi easily sidestepped, and Chihiro popped in between the two.

"Leave it alone! Everyone learns differently, and at their own pace!" she said angrily, glaring at Kakashi, before turning a more sympathetic look on her cousin. Obito backed off, grumbling. Kakashi only shrugged.

"That's enough. Rin-chan, Obito-kun, I'm glad you're making progress with your techniques, and that you could spend time with us. It is starting to get dark, so I think it's time for you two to get home." I said firmly.

"Oh, of course Minato-sensei. Thank you!" Rin said happily. She then hurried off in the direction of the orphanage.

"Yeah, thanks! I'll see you later!" Obito added, before darting off to the Uchiha district.

"Alright everyone, it's Kushina's turn tonight. She's pulling out all the stops." All three of my students' eyes lit up.

"Yum." Chihiro said. We didn't waste any time in getting home, and Kushina waved with a spoon from the kitchen.

"Hi everyone! Hope you had fun training. Get cleaned up, spare clothes are in their usual spaces. When you're done, Chihiro-chan, Kakashi-kun, set the table. We're expecting all of your parents. Shinobu-chan, watch the pots on the stove while I'm chopping things. Unless you want to chop." Shinobu quickly traced a character on Kushina's hand. Kushina nodded, then turned back, and added another pot to the stove. Soup, stir fry, curry. All warm dishes, and there'd be leftovers.

"I don't get to do anything?" I asked teasingly, as my students darted of to the bathrooms.

"The kids are smaller, and I don't want more than two people in the kitchen. Be the door greeter, or something." I grinned, then waited until Kakashi was done before taking a quick shower myself. Back in the kitchen, Shinobu had climbed onto the stool Kushina had ready for her. Chihiro and Kakashi strategically raided the cabinets with all of their speed so they didn't get in Kushina's way.

As usual, the dinner party was fun, everyone in a good mood, and enjoying the excellent food. Of course, the party atmosphere and late hours made it more difficult to get up the following mornings, but that was something everyone could deal with. At least, usually. The dinner parties were still often too much for Shinobu, so when she had enough, she slipped away to a quieter part of the house. Tonight, Sakumo and Daido swapped stories from recent missions, Aki and Kushina ended up discussing clan politics, and Chihiro and Kakashi continued to argue over learning styles. I briefly sensed for Shinobu. Living room, close to the open balcony door. I glanced over my shoulder. Paper and ink, so she was probably working on seals. All pretty normal. I grinned, then proceeded to add my own stories to Sakumo's and Daido's. Finally, all the guests had received their leftovers, and went home.

The following morning, I kept yawning as Kushina prepared breakfast with her eyes half closed. Shinobu was alert, but then, she had gone to bed early, helped by the privacy seals I had stuck on the entrance to the hallway. They helped keep the noise down so Shinobu could actually sleep. She ate breakfast quickly, then darted off to meet with Chihiro. I followed after another twenty minutes. Today I planned on checking my students' progress with elemental jutsu, then working with them on it. Not the most exciting day perhaps, but practice was always good, and it was always interesting to see just how fast they picked things up.

"Morning!" I called out, popping in next to Chihiro. She jumped a little, but by now, had become mostly used to my teleporting. Kakashi crossed his arms.

"Sensei, you look tired." I just shrugged.

"Is that really any surprise? In any case, we're working on elemental ninjutsu."

"Just our own element?" Kakashi asked.

"Mostly. Though depending on your progress, I'll start teaching you another element."

"Cool!" Chihiro beamed.

"You need to finish with your own elements. Chihiro-chan, you first." I watched as Chihiro did all the Katon she knew. Most releases up to B-rank were solid, though her A-ranks needed some work. She had finally figured out fire clones though. And it seemed she was still working out a few of the Uchiha specific jutsu.

"Alright Chihiro-chan, good work. You've been practicing. Keep practicing, especially on those upper level techniques. Shinobu-chan?" Her Suiton were good, though getting a little shaky towards the upper levels. Still, everything considered, it was very good.

"You've done really well. You've still got work to do, but the ones you have mastered, are very good. Kakashi-kun, your turn." Kakashi did well, solid releases well into B-ranks. Even a few A-ranks were performed well.

"Kakashi-kun, you still have work to do as well. But I'm impressed with how far everyone's come. Now, I think we can test for secondary affinities. Those will be the easiest to learn next." I brought out a few slips of chakra sensitive paper. "This does require tight control, holding back your primary affinity. Channel just a bit of chakra into the paper." Kakashi took his first, and concentrated. The paper slowly turned to dirt.

"Earth affinity." Kakashi mused thoughtfully. That was interesting, considering earth was weak against lightening. Chihiro took hers, and the paper crinkled.

"Lightening. Can you help Kakashi-kun?" Caught off guard, Kakashi stared at her, then slowly nodded.

"Tou-san also knows."

"Oh, cool!" I handed the last paper to Shinobu, and her paper split almost immediately.

"Wind. That, I can help you with. That's my main affinity. I can help with all nature releases, expect for water. Kushina's helping me with that one. I might convince her to help out, if you want." Shinobu nodded, and Chihiro grinned.

"Thanks Sensei!"

"We still won't work on your second affinities quite yet. Let's see if you can make progress on your current releases." Each of my students chose a jutsu they knew they weren't the best at, and started practicing. Chihiro chose to perfect the fire clones, Kakashi was working on a B-rank lightening jutsu that cloaked his body. Aside from a bit of protection, it didn't do much else at the moment. I knew Kakashi had just discovered it accidentally during training, but also knew that the Third Raikage used a similar technique. Maybe I could suggest using the jutsu for speed. In the meantime though, Kakashi needed to perfect just getting the cloak fully around him, and sustaining it.

"Focus on your chakra buildup more. Feel what kind of chakra, and how much, and you'll do better." I said, noting that Kakashi still had trouble with stamina. His control was great, but with average reserves, he didn't have as much to work with. Maybe it was time to work on stamina exercises more.

"It's still my stamina, isn't it." Kakashi grumbled. I nodded.

"Yes. I think I need to set you more stamina and endurance exercises. But being even more aware of your chakra might help. Being so aware, helps you feel exactly how much you need for any technique." Kakashi considered, still scowling, then looked across the field at his teammates. Shinobu had finished with a series of hand seals, and a small water dragon burst from the river. I smiled. It really was amazing how quickly my team could learn. The Suiton: Suiryūdan Shinobu had used earlier had been tiny, barely noticeable. The size, and how long it lasted improved with each try. Not too far away, Chihiro flashed through hand seals, and more fire clones appeared. I briefly checked with my chakra sense. More of them than before, and more stable. And they all looked exactly like Chihiro. Very, very good.

"Chihiro-chan, Shinobu-chan! You're both sensors, so it's easier to sense your own chakra, right?" Kakashi called. Both girls looked up, then came closer.

"Yeah. But...I don't know, focusing inwards helps? I meditate, so that's allowed me to get to sort of know my chakra, if that makes any sense." Chihiro admitted. Kakashi grimaced.

 _You...feel like...crackling energy._ Shinobu signed thoughtfully. Chihiro nodded.

"With lots of sparks. Maybe if you concentrate on that feeling, feeling like lightening is running through you, maybe that would help."

"Now that's an interesting way to put it. I've only had my sensor capabilities for maybe a year or so. I had trouble learning chakra control at first." I mused.

"I though you had to be born a sensor." Kakashi said.

"Most do, or have to be born with abilities that would make them good sensors. I learned through what's known as Sage training." At the curious and confused looks I got from all of my students, I continued. "Senjutsu combines natural chakra with a person's chakra, and it makes the person stronger, and their techniques stronger."

"Wow." Kakashi said. "Can you teach us?"

"No. I was taught by the toads, same with my sensei Jirayia. The toads won't take another person for their summons for a while. Technically though, if you got a summons contract, you could learn Sage arts from that animal. If that animal group has sages. Not all of them do. In addition, don't try to mess with natural chakra. If you're not careful, you can easily turn to stone." I wondered if Kushina would be willing to keep going with her summons training. She hadn't done as much for a while, but maybe, since she didn't fear Kurama as much now, she'd continue. I'd have to ask.

"Oh."

"Even if you can't teach us Sensei, can you show us what it's like?" Chihiro asked.

"I can. Not right now though. You three still have training to do." With slightly rueful looks, Shinobu and Chihiro scattered back to their previous positions, and started on hand seals again. I turned back to Kakashi.

"Now Kakashi-kun, want to try what Chihiro-chan suggested?" Kakashi nodded, eyes already closed to concentrate.

"Sure." It took Kakashi a while to get it, but he did. The next time he tried the lightening cloak, it went better. He managed to hold it for longer, and he didn't look quite as tired when he released the technique. At the end of the day, I whistled for them to stop.

"We'll keep working with elemental jutsu the rest of the week. And I'll show you what I can do with Sage techniques." I promised.

"Thanks Sensei!"

We did take a break for missions, but throughout our training sessions, I showed off a few things I had learned from the toads. Katas, a few Fūton. I couldn't hold it very long, Still, my Fūton were so much more powerful, and my taijutsu demonstration resulted in one of the training posts being toppled over. Might have gone a bit overboard there. But I was able to put it back. And the amazed look of my students was certainly worth it. A couple weeks later, I finally managed to find time again for Kushina to spar with my team. Shinobu, Kakashi, and Chihiro studied Kushina carefully, and I didn't blame them. Kushina had her foxy grin in place.

"All out spar today. Don't hold back, that wouldn't be any fun!" Kushina said cheerfully. I made sure to stay out of the way, then watched carefully. Kakashi struck first, throwing lightening laced shuriken, quickly followed by fire laced kunai thrown by Chihiro. All were well aimed, covering the gaps. Kushina grinned, and used Kawarimi.

"Nice!" Clones appeared from both Kushina and my students. My eyes narrowed. It seemed like Kakashi and Shinobu had worked together to create water clones infused with lightening, sending them around Kushina while Chihiro held her attention with fire clones. Kushina was going to have to watch her step more than she expected. Not to mention, Chihiro had slipped off into the woods. Hmm. Kushina punched through a fire clone, recoiling at the heat. Slightly more cautious, she drew her katana. That though, didn't help with the water and lightening clones. Not to mention, Kakashi and Shinobu were showing off the results of their pairs training. Hiding themselves amongst their clones, they used shunshins and Kawarimi for quick, darting attacks. As soon as Kushina fended off one, the other would appear on her unprotected side. Kushina finally had enough, and her chains manifested. Shinobu and Kakashi hastily used Kawarimi to join Chihiro in the woods. Kushina pursued, and I followed. This, was proving interesting. In a small clearing, they engaged again. A mix of taijutsu and genjutsu, with bokken and other weapon strikes thrown in. Kushina hissed at a few times, when Kakashi got a solid strike with his bokken, or Chihiro managed to throw a kunai just so. To my surprise, Shinobu had cast a genjutsu on her kunai, fooling Kushina on where exactly the weapons were. That, was a technique I'd never seen before. Mist started to cling to the trees, and I couldn't sense anything. Shinobu, or Chihiro, must have added a genjutsu to Shinobu's mist. My students could navigate through, but even with Kushina's sensory capabilities, I wasn't totally sure if she could. Not when I couldn't sense anything in it. I stayed back, but heard several explosions go off, and the sound of traps going off. At one point, an indigent shriek from Kushina. Close to noon, they finally stopped. I met my exhausted students and tired girlfriend by the training students. Kushina had glitter in her hair, though all three of my students had neon paint on them. A few bruises, mild cuts, and dirty and torn clothes.

"You all did so well." I said proudly. All of my students smiled.

"Shinobu-chan used one of my own traps against me!" Kushina grumbled. Shinobu looked a little nervous, and tugged gently at Kushina's pants. Kushina looked down, and her slight irritation faded immediately. 

"It's ok, really. I just wasn't expecting it, ya know." she reassured Shinobu. Shinobu relaxed a bit, and embraced Kushina.

"Which actually makes it a good tactic. If your opponent isn't expecting something, that's the best technique to use against them." I explained. Shinobu nodded, a little hesitantly, then stood next to her teammates again.

"Kushina-san still beat us in the end." Kakashi grumbled.

"She is a special jōnin. But you all held your own, not to mention got a few hits yourselves. For an enemy, try upping the charge in those lightening infused water clones."

"Some of your traps would kill or entrap less skilled opponents. And that mist is something else." Kushina added.

"We can all navigate in it, because we know there's a genjutsu component. Most enemies might not realize that right away." Chihiro explained.

"Oh, so that's what you did. Nice!" We stopped training for that day, all headed home for lunch, baths, and naps. We continued training hard, but I could tell my students were starting to get impatient with all the D-ranks and in village C-ranks. They were highly capable, and travel C-ranks only involved bandits, at the most. Any bandits were going to be very sorry when they ran into my team. I grinned to myself. Yes, it really was time to test my students' skills in the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of an interlude before the next major events.


	12. Chapter 11: I Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First out of village C-rank...

Chihiro Uchiha 

I stood with my teammates as we waited in line for another mission. Four months, dozens of D-ranks, a few dozen in-village C-ranks, lots of training, lots of learning. I couldn't really say we were bored, exactly. The excitement with the first couple of months with figuring out team dynamics, and then all the cool techniques we got to learn wasn't boring. But we were getting a bit restless. And the relative peace made me uneasy.

My dreams, my foreknowledge, had indicated that Team 7's luck, was awful. Horrible team dynamics, disastrous missions, missing or turned evil teammates, dead teammates... I shook my head to get out of that train of thought. Much too depressing. Still, I hadn't thought that my presence, would change things that much. Certain events, had to still happen. But when would they happen? So much of the other timeline, was unclear. I sighed, frustrated. Then, I realized we'd gotten to the front of the line.

"We got an escort request. You'll be escorting a noble family to the capital. Expected to take about three weeks." The Hokage said, handing a yellow ribboned scroll to Sensei. I sensed a thrill go through Kakashi, and a spark of eagerness, followed by nervousness from Shinobu. It would be good to get out of Konoha. I hadn't really heard much about the capital, and my foreknowledge didn't cover that at all.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Sensei paused in our usual alcove in the hallway, and skimmed through the scroll before nodding.

"Go pack your bags. We'll leave today, since it's still early. Meet at my house in half an hour."

"Yes Sensei!"

I arrived at Sensei's house before the half hour mark, and caught a brief flash of a different chakra on the roof. Sensei was up there too. I frowned, and looked up. Nothing. Sensei appeared next to me, and smiled.

"Good. Now we only need Kakashi-kun."

"Sensei? Who was on the roof? Why were you on the roof?"

"Just checking on something." Sensei replied, as Shinobu came out with her bag. Sensei ducked inside to grab his own bag, and I frowned. That, was no answer at all. But, if Sensei was being vague, then I probably had no business poking around. Still, annoying. And a bit weird. Sensei came back out, and activated the security seals. We waited on the front porch for a little longer, before I finally sensed Kakashi's sparking chakra racing over roofs towards us. His kodachi bounced a little in its sheath as he landed, slightly out of breath.

"You're late!" I said gleefully. Not by much, but still. Kakashi glared at me, and I smiled sweetly. He growled, then turned to Sensei. 

"Sorry Sensei. Dad's leaving on a mission too." Sensei smiled. 

"It's alright. Ten minutes isn't going to make much of a difference. Everyone ready? Let's go."

It took us five days to get to the noble house. The journey itself wasn't that interesting, unless a couple of brief training sessions counted. There were a few exercises in the forests, which were a bit different than the giant Hashirama trees that surrounded Konoha. More branches of different sizes made it trickier to move around. Annoying, but a useful exercise. As we drew closer to the noble house, the forest thinned, then gave way to flat land. Hills rose in the distance, but in between, stood a multi floor manor house, and the surrounding estate. A bit of farmland, houses for the staff and guards. Guards stood at the gate, one black haired, and one red haired. I studied the red haired, and blinked. Her red hair was the same shade as Kushina's, and gathered up in a ponytail. She also had a katana at her side. Yet that wasn't what made me both curious and wary. She was familiar, kind of like the same sense of familiarity I got from Shinobu. What the heck?

"Who are you?" The woman asked, her hand on the hilt of her katana.

"Minato Namikaze, jōnin of Konohagakure. This is my team, Chihiro Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Shinobu Katsuki. We're here for an escort mission." The guard's eyes traveled over the team, pausing both on Shinobu and me. Shinobu, slightly behind me, shivered a little. I glanced at her.

"You ok?" I whispered. Shinobu nodded briefly. I turned my attention back to the gate as the woman spoke again.

"So you're the escort team that was sent. Good, we're just about ready to go. Come with me." The red haired woman led us through the gate, up to the house, past a garden, through a few hallways, up stairs, and finally paused at a door. She knocked, then opened the door.

"The team from Konohagakure is here." she announced, entering. The room spread out in front of us. Windows let in sunlight on two sides, and three desks stood next to each other by them. Only one desk was occupied at the moment. A young woman, with her black hair braided into one of the longest braids I had ever seen, sat pouring over a scroll. Her long front locks frames her face, and a hair ornament was in one of them. She was probably a few years older than Sensei. She looked up, and smiled.

"Welcome. My brother and sister should be here soon. They're finishing putting a few things in order." At that moment, a young man, followed by a younger woman entered the room, laughing about something. The man's black hair was tied back into a short ponytail, and the woman's black hair was around shoulder length, left loose except for her front locks. All three siblings were dressed practically, something I hadn't expected from nobles. The two women wore kimono tops, tied with obi, but the skirts ended above the knee. Shinobi pants covered their legs, and they had open toed boots. The man wore a kimono variant shirt, without loose sleeves and clasps running along the side of his collar. His pants were similar to shinobi pants, like his sisters' and he wore shinobi sandals. All of their clothes had enough detail and embroidery that someone could tell they were wealthy, but maybe not how much. The man seemed to be a bit older than Sensei, while the younger woman about the same age as Sensei. They were all familiar as well. Again, what the heck? I was so confused.

"Oh, are they the escort?" the man asked. The woman at the desk nodded. 

"They are. I know Yuko got your names at the gate, but could we please have a round of introductions?"

"Minato Namikaze, jōnin of Konohagakure. This is my team, Kakashi Hatake, Chihiro Uchiha, and Shinobu Katsuki." Sensei said, gesturing to us. We bowed to the siblings.

"You already met me. Yuko Uzumaki, captain of the guard, and personal bodyguard." The red haired woman waved cheerfully from her position next to the occupied desk. A start of surprise went through the entire team, though Sensei seemed somewhat relieved.

"You're an Uzushio survivor then?" he asked carefully. Yuko's smile disappeared, and she nodded sadly.

"I am. There are a few Uzumaki who escaped, but I don't know how many. I think a couple were going to head to Konoha." Sensei frowned slightly. 

"The only Uzumaki in Konoha right now is Kushina Uzumaki." 

"Oh! She disappeared shortly before Uzushio's destruction. I'm glad she's safe. Is she doing well?" Yuko asked eagerly. Sensei smiled.

"She's great. Pranks the village in between missions, and is also my girlfriend." My head spun. Ok, so I knew roughly when Kushina had come to the village, so the destruction of Uzushio actually hadn't been that long ago. I might have to try to find details....I didn't know much. But...why were there so few Uzushio survivors? Wiping out a clan in one day wasn't impossible, but the Uchiha Clan Massacre had been a different situation. And with Uzushio's strength, there...should have been more...weird. I shook my head slightly, getting back on track. 

"That's wonderful. More Uzumaki survivors are always good to hear about. Perhaps, if we have free time over the summer, we could visit. We'll be too busy for the next months." The woman still sitting at the desk said. Yuko grinned.

"Thanks Sora!" the woman at the desk smiled. 

"Of course. Now, as you've heard, my name is Sora. Current head of the Shiki clan."

"I'm Daichi." The man added with a wave.

"My name is Umi." the younger woman said, smiling. I frowned, caught off guard again. Why, why were their names so familiar? Not necessarily like I'd heard them before, but more like they were associated with something, or someone...I frowned slightly as I felt Shinobu's chakra flickering nervously, before disappearing. Ok, so I wasn't the only one who felt something was off. Yet Kakashi and Sensei seemed fine. Again, yet and still, what the heck?

"Can you tell us what the situation is?" Sensei asked. "The mission scroll said only that you required an escort to the capital, with a few extra days to make sure you're secure."

"Of course. As nobles loyal to the daimyo, we do have to live in the capital for a period of time. Four months out of the year, total." Sora explained.

"We're lucky, since we live so close. We switch off which months we have to stay." Daichi added.

"The road there is about five to six days, depending on the weather. It's well traveled, which is partially why we take it. Recently though, we've heard that bandits are targeting the road more often. A little worrisome, since the war ended not too long ago." Umi sighed.

"Basically, our guards can handle regular bandits. Rumors say there's more skilled bandits though. That's why you're here. Just a little extra security I had hoped we could add this trip." Daichi finished.

"And we finally agreed." Sora told him dryly.

"Sora, I still think a few extra guards this trip..." he turned, protesting. 

"He can get a bit overprotective." Umi whispered as her older siblings continued to argue. Sensei hid a smile, while Kakashi let out a very quiet snort. The corners of Shinobu's lips were twitching.

 _They're so...normal._ She signed. I couldn't help but let out my own snort of laughter at that, while Sensei chuckled, and Kakashi snorted again. Yes, despite their weird familiarity to me, and my absolute confusion with everything, they weren't what I was expecting. I thought nobles would be more arrogant and stuck up than this. I had clan members who were more arrogant than these siblings.

"You're just irritated because Genkei would agree with me." Daichi said, smiling mischievously. Sora blushed, and Daichi's smile grew to a triumphant grin. Umi burst out laughing.

"He got you!" Yuko joined in the laughter, while Sora groaned, and put her head in her hands. 

"Enough." Sora said finally, her blush slowly fading. She waited while her siblings and Yuko got control of themselves, though Daichi still had a smirk on his face. She glared at him, then sighed.

"We've been over this. In any case, we're just looking for a few extra eyes and hands." 

"And we will be happy to do so." Sensei promised.

"Thank you. Are you ready to go?" Sora asked, looking at her two siblings. Daichi nodded, but Umi shook her head.

"Just a couple more things." she promised, darting out of the room.

"In that case, we'll meet you at the gate." Sora promised. So, our mission began. Or continued? I suppose a mission started as soon as we walked out of the gates of Konoha. Technically. But travel days, getting to the main objective, were boring. I didn't really want to count them.

The three nobles and their guards rode horses, which made travel quicker than expected. We were able to keep pace by walking, or at least, the ninja version of walking, quite easily. Only three horses were used for supplies, keeping the little caravan moving efficiently. Sensei, after a quick check with Yuko, assigned us rotating positions. Kakashi and I got the sides, Sensei took point, and Shinobu guarded the rear for the first morning. Guards stationed in between all of us, and Yuko rode with the three siblings.

"Somewhat small entourage. Only eight guards?" Kakashi asked when we stopped for lunch.

"In the past, it threw some people off. Smaller group, not as rich, so, not worth as much trouble." Daichi explained. "We do have more guards this trip."

"We also have a few other ways as well. All of the guards are very, very well trained. That helps." Yuko added. We started on the road again soon after that. That night, around the fire, Yuko and Sensei swapped stories about Kushina.

"She really pulled out her hair? I remember when she would have hated that!" Yuko said, laughing. From my foreknowledge, I remembered that incident. But it was different now that I knew Kushina. I still couldn't believe she had actually pulled her hair out to make a trail.

"I think she thought it was the only way to be found." Sensei said, shrugging. "She was right."

"She usually is. Or, when she isn't, we try not to get in the way." I added.

"You're scared of her." Sora noted curiously. "Or at the very least, nervous."

"Who wouldn't be? She's known as the Red Hot Habernero for a reason." Kakashi said.

"Between their temper and their pranks, Uzumaki are terrifying." Sensei muttered. Yuko grinned, and it was very similar to the foxy grin Kushina sometimes wore. We all leaned back, just a little.

"There's a reason it took three villages to destroy Uzushio. Only Konoha can really handle us."

"With a few exceptions." Umi corrected. Yuko laughed.

"True. But you still only have to deal with one, instead of more."

"And I was thinking you were the one having to put up with us." Daichi teased.

"It might be even, at this point. Now, it's getting late, and we have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Sora said.

Day two included an attempted ambush by a group of bandits. Needless to say, they didn't get very far. I was on point for the morning shift, and sensed four people in front of us. I stopped, and signaled the others. The small caravan slowed, and Sensei came up to me, as did Yuko.

"How many?" Yuko asked. 

"I sense four." Sensei nodded thoughtfully. 

"Kakashi-kun smelled three to either side. And Shinobu-chan sensed two behind." I frowned. 

"Twelve? Daichi-sama did say bandit groups were larger, but that doesn't seem like much. Do they know that there's ninjas here?" I asked. Sensei shrugged.

"I doubt it. For a group of bandits, twelve is a decent size. Don't take risks, but don't waste your talents on them. Work with the guards, and don't get in their way if they have it handled."

"Yes Sensei." In the end, there was barely anything to do. In a little over five minutes, the guards had most of the bandits handled. Sensei did grab one, but that was about it. I still checked the area over for anymore as Sensei stood with Yuko and a few guards over the terrified bandits.

"All accounted for?" Yuko checked. Sensei nodded.

"Yes."

"These were about the kind of bandits we expected. No real skill, and not prepared to face trained guards." Yuko admitted.

"It was a bit of a show while it lasted. Nice work." Daichi said, still mounted. Yuko grinned at him, then turned her attention back to the bandits. They were looking up at her and Sensei, terrified. I smirked. They really hadn't expected trained guards, and ninjas. Too bad. 

"We can't take them with. Completely disarm them, and bind them. They'll survive. A patrol should be through within the next couple of days. If we pass them, we can let them know." Yuko ordered. The guards followed her orders. Later that day, we did come across a military patrol, who seemed rather eager to pick up the bandits. Day three was boring, as was day four. Lunch breaks did include a couple small training exercises. Shinobu, Kakashi, and I tried to jump Sensei a few times. Kakashi and I never succeeded on our own, but Shinobu got close a few times. Her ability to completely mask her presence was amazing, and she was learning to mask the signature of the genjutsu she used. When we worked as a team, we usually succeeded. Well, Sensei was never beaten, but it was enough of an achievement to sneak up on him. At least we all got practice with our concealment skills. We also discussed techniques a few times. I finally managed to get a breakthrough in my chakra manipulation thanks to Shinobu.

 _You told Kakashi how his chakra felt._ Shinobu reminded me, after laying her chopsticks across her empty bento. I frowned, but nodded. I didn't completely see how that helped...

 _How do you feel like you? Then, copy._ Shinobu continued. I thought about that. That sort of made sense. Except with just copying the chakra signature...

"I know I'm fire natured. And my chakra feels steady, and warm. But what do I feel like to you?" Shinobu thought for a few minutes. 

_Intense flames. Like in a forge._

"Now that's very interesting." Sensei's voice came from behind Shinobu, and we looked up to see him studying both of us.

"Sensei? What do I feel like to you?" I asked curiously. He smiled. 

"I would say Shinobu-chan's assessment is pretty accurate. Forge flames are very intense, and dangerous, but they're focused, and controlled. But why are you asking?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to falsify my chakra signature. Shinobu-chan is helping." I explained. Sensei looked at Shinobu with more interest, then back at me.

"Like she does sometimes in training?"

"Right."

"How much have you figured out?"

"Well...I was honestly thinking that if I sort of did Bushin, but concentrated only on the chakra signature?" Sensei shook his head. 

"I wouldn't try that. That, is similar enough to Kage Bushin, and that is a forbidden technique. Not many people know, or use it. Try instead, extending your chakra out. It wouldn't be unlike a chakra scalpel. Or, if you tried dispelling a genjutsu at a distance."

"Oh." I frowned, then really focused on my chakra. I could spread it out, almost like a net around me. But concentrating it to one point...I growled in frustration when I couldn't hold the technique anymore.

"It'll take time, and practice Chihiro-chan. Take it one step at a time. Work with that net you were building, expand it, and hold it for longer. That does diffuse your chakra, and make it harder to sense." Well, that was something. And useful, even if it wasn't really what I was going for. 

"I will Sensei."

"Lunch is over!" Yuko called. Sensei grinned, then led Shinobu and I back to the larger group.

"Then let's get moving." I got assigned to the rear of the caravan for the afternoon. Boring, but I think I was grateful for that. I had enough thoughts running around in my head. That night, Sensei assigned me first watch. I sighed, and looked out on the open track. It was pretty in the moonlight, even peaceful. But it wasn't relaxing. No, instead it allowed me to think about things I had been pushing to the back of my head.

I didn't like the weird feelings I had about this mission. I fully expected there to be some sort of massive attack. In the alternate universe, it always seemed like missions became disasters, one way or another. So, I hadn't been sleeping well. On top of that, there was the weird sense of familiarity with the noble siblings, and Yuko. I didn't get that either! All I knew, was that it was all driving me insane!

"Your turn at watch?" Sora's soft voice came from behind, and I turned to see her relaxed. I frowned slightly. A noble woman, out on a dangerous road, yet she was comfortable away from the guards? I mean, sure, I was a ninja, but I was also really, really young.

"Yep." I admitted.

"I've been wanting to talk with you alone. Can you watch, and talk at the same time?" I took a breath and cast my chakra sense out, sort of putting it on 'passive mode'. I'd be roughly aware of any movement around us.

"Yeah. I can." Sora smiled, and sat next to me.

"You've been studying my siblings and I, and Yuko quite a bit. I would have thought, that the novelty of escorting a noble family would have eased a bit by now." I couldn't help but smile.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know if there really was a novelty. It's different. Kakashi-kun, Shinobu-chan and I haven't escorted nobles before. And we haven't seen the capital, either. But...it's a mission."

"Mission comes first."

"Yes, but no. I mean, there's people back home who act way more like what I'd expect from nobles than what you've acted like."

"So what you're trying to say, politely, is that we're normal." I thought for a minute, then sheepishly nodded.

"I guess." Sora laughed quietly.

"I, and the others, will take that as a compliment. It's nice, to see shinobi treating us like they would others in their village."

"Do others...I don't know, try to win favors or something? There's branch clan members who do that sometimes with my aunt. She doesn't stand for it, but they try."

"Of course. There will always be those that envy power, or try to manipulate someone in a position of power. But at least in my household, everyone knows better. I think you've seen that, at least a glimpse."

"The guards are all relaxed around you. And you are on first name basis with Yuko-san."

"Yuko is a dear friend, in addition to being a skilled fighter. She came to our lands years ago, on the run. We took her in, and then, things developed from there."

"Do you know of other Uzushio survivors?" I asked. Sora sighed.

"There could always be some. But do we know of any personally, do we know of any with facts, instead of rumors? No. But any Uzumaki who come to our lands will always have a home. It's the same way for Konoha, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess so." We stayed silent for a few minutes, each wrapped up in our own thoughts. In a way, I really wanted to ask Sora about the familiarity. But at the same time, I didn't. Sora sighed.

"The...normality you've noticed with us. Is there something else that's throwing you off?" I stiffened, and stared at Sora. She was watching me, studying me. 

"How..." Sora gave me a faint smile. 

"I do watch people. I suspected your looks were not just because of our station. Now that you've explained a few things, I think I understand better. There's a sense of familiarity you have with us, almost like deja vu." I stared at Sora, amazed. More bells were going off in my head, Sora was so, so familiar, more puzzle pieces coming together, but nothing connected yet. Ugh!

"Yes. How..."

"We, that is, Daichi, Umi, Yuko and I feel the same way. But also, we feel that same sense of familiarity with Shinobu-san. I admit there's a little bit of a difference. Daichi, Umi, and I, feel a slightly stronger sense of deja vu with Shinobu-san. Yuko, has a stronger sense of deja vu with you." My mind whirled. How? Why? What the heck was going on? Why was there a difference?

"I...I don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out, and it's so frustrating. I...I feel the same way with Shinobu-chan." Sora studied me with interest.

"Do you now? And not your other teammates?"

"No. And I have no idea, if Shinobu-chan feels the same way about me."

"That's very interesting."

"Do you think it's a bad thing?" Sora shook her head. 

"I would say no. For my siblings and I, and Yuko, it binds us together. We can trust each other completely, there's no need to keep secrets. I suppose...it's a bit like finding your true family."

"But if I don't feel the same thing with others, does that mean I'm not supposed to be with them?" I wondered. I honestly liked my team, I liked my clan, I liked Konoha, despite its faults. But if this...was I in the wrong place? What was I supposed to do? Sora shook her head, and gave me a bit of a look. I took a breath. Right. No panicking right now.

"I didn't say that. I think it's a bit like your clan. Those in your immediate family, have the strongest bonds. Your cousins, and branch members, you still care for, but it's not as close."

"Oh." I hesitated. Then in that case...I definitely wanted to stay with my team. Despite everything going on.

"This is still weird." Sora laughed quietly.

"I won't deny this is confusing. But I also don't know if you want to forget about this, or not."

"What do you mean?"

"You admit to having some sort of connection with us. I don't know if you want to, but we'd be happy to send letters. Keep in touch. Maybe that would help, in some way." I thought about that. Again, it was strange, but with the familiarity, I didn't think that would be a bad thing.

"I'd be ok with that." I decided. "Would you send personal letters, or some to the whole team?"

"I don't see why we can't do both. Even if we don't feel the same sense of familiarity with Minato-san, and Kakashi-san, I can tell you're all good people. Having friends outside of your village wouldn't hurt."

"Thanks." I hesitated again, something else on my mind. "Are you going to talk to Shinobu-chan about this?"

"Would she be comfortable talking with me?" Sora asked carefully. I sighed.

"I don't know. She's...very shy. Doesn't like people much." Sora stayed quiet for a minute or so, thinking. 

"Then we'll see. I'll talk to her, briefly, tomorrow. See if she wants to discuss things. If not, then maybe you could? I think she should know about this."

"I will." I promised. Sora smiled.

"Thank you. I'll leave you to your watch then."

The next morning, I did notice Sora speaking quietly to Shinobu. I paid attention to the tiny spark of Shinobu's chakra that I could feel. Slight nerves, but then, a bit of confusion, and calm. I watched curiously as Shinobu drew out a piece of paper, and started writing quickly. Sora nodded, and replied. That conversation lasted throughout breakfast, with Shinobu's chakra changing between confusion, relaxing, more nerves, and then finally, ending with a shy smile and a nod.

"You ok?" Kakashi asked, noticing Shinobu packing a few things up. Shinobu nodded.

_Bit of a puzzle. But it's ok._

"Then is everyone ready to go?" Sensei asked. We nodded.

"We should reach the capital today. We've been moving quickly." Umi mused, as she mounted.

"Good." Yuko muttered, under her breath. I looked at her thoughtfully. As captain of the guard, she probably didn't like the length of the journey, especially with the reports of bandits. Even if we hadn't encountered much, it was her job to worry. The sooner we got to the capital, the more everyone could relax. We ended up seeing the capital, or at least the walls, shortly after lunch.

"I didn't know the capital was walled." Kakashi said, in surprise. One of the guards grinned.

"Extra protection. Bunch of wealthy people inside, politic central, capital of an important country, so it's got more security." "

Oh." A little further on, we caught glimpses of the front gate, and the glint of sunlight off of people standing guard. I saw Kakashi's head whip around, and saw everyone tense. And chakra signatures were starting to appear on my radar.

"Kakashi-kun?" Sensei asked, voice calm.

"I smell at least three people. Not the city guards."

"I sense five, moving towards us. Shinobi speed." I added, automatically crouching low to move. 

"Positions!" Yuko called. The first of the attackers burst from the trees in front of us, and I lost track of things a little.

Guards moving to engage, keeping a perimeter around our clients. Yet there were enough enemies to get past them. I flashed through the hand signs for my favorite jutsu. Katon: Homuranagase. I hadn't quite mastered Katon: Hōsenka. Balls of fire launched from my mouth straight towards the two enemy shinobi rushing towards me. One dodged, but the other got a fireball to the face, and fell, screaming. Lightening tore through the sky nearby. Water blasted from another corner, with a loud roar. Felt like Shinobu had finally mastered Suiton: Suiryūdan. And...Sora was moving, spinning. Enemy shinobi had gotten past, but Sora defended herself, enemy shinobi falling around her. Before I could sense much more, the shinobi who dodged my previous attack rushed at me, kunai flashing.

I dodged, and in an instant, had shuriken flying. Unfortunately, my opponent either dodged, or blocked. Well crap. I growled. Next tactic then. Launch more weapons, use a genjutsu. That tactic worked. The shinobi stumbled in shock at my shuriken hit. I leapt and stabbed, hard. My second opponent fell. Ok, now the others...Sensei was using Hiraishin, and a massive amount of chakra in one hand. The Rasengan? But it was too early! At least...in the alternate version. Ok. Yuko fought two opponents with almost scary efficiency. Umi was dodging around, but still taking down opponents. Daichi cut down another shinobi. Ok then. Kakashi was starting to run low on chakra. Shinobu was ok. Right. I flashed through more hand signs. Another fireball, this one much larger, headed towards Kakashi's opponents. One dodged, the other got hit. What was it with one person always dodging my fireballs? It didn't matter much, since Kakashi got that one with his kodachi. Suddenly, all was quiet. Except...

"One more!" I gasped out, sensing a rapidly approaching presence. Kakashi readied himself, though he was exhausted. Sensei pulled out another kunai, so that he had one in each hand.

"Wait!" Yuko yelled. A young man appeared, non shinobi gear, but a katana in each hand. He stopped, and took in the scene quickly. I looked around. Two shinobi with...their faces melted. And another stabbed. I...had done that. I had just killed three people. And I was six. The siblings and Yuko all had dead shinobi around them. A few nearby had...electrical burns and stab wounds. Toward the rear, I spotted more shinobi with kunai and shuriken sticking out of them.

"Konohagakure escort?" the young man asked sharply, staring at Sensei. Sensei nodded. The man relaxed slightly, sheathed both katanas, and rushed toward the siblings. He passed downed guards, some injured, some dead.

"Sora!" he called out worriedly. Sora turned, wiping and sheathing two tanto.

"Genkei!" They embraced tightly. Uh...ok...what?

"You're alright?" 

"A little messy. But not hurt." Genkei sighed in relief.

"Daichi, Umi, Yuko?"

"We're all fine. Thanks." Daichi replied, sheathing a now clean katana. Umi and Yuko were calmly sheathing weapons, like this happened every day. I tried to breathe, but all that came were short gasps. Kakashi stood frozen next to me. Sensei appeared, an arm around Shinobu. She looked unhurt, but silent sobs shook her.

"Come here." Sensei said gently. I went willingly into the group hug, trying to take deeper breaths. Anything to block out the carnage we had unleashed. I had known this would happen eventually, I had known that I would have to kill, since I was a ninja. I had been expecting a major attack. I had known...but not processed. Accepted? I had moved so fast...without thought...attacked older shinobi without hesitation, probably stronger shinobi, I was just a little kid...and I had killed. My teammates, had killed. I...just what had we done?


	13. Chapter 12: The Room Where it Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of explanations seem to be in order...

Yuko surveyed the bloody scene, studying the caravan guards in particular.

"Most of the guard is injured or dead. That's not good. We'll have to train a lot more recruits." she reported with a sigh.

"I'm glad that you got an escort from Konoha." Genkei muttered, still holding on to Sora's hand.

"Told you he would approve." Daichi said quietly, as he led his horse through the bodies. The horse came quietly, hadn't moved or panicked throughout the encounter. None of the horses had...Sora sighed.

"You certainly did your job well. I'll tell the city guards, and they'll get the injured to the hospital. The rest of you, should get inside the walls." Genkei said. He glanced at Sora, then met the gate guard who had come running. He fired off rapid orders as the three siblings started working their way down the path. Wordlessly, Sensei pulled us gently after. Yuko stayed behind, doing...something. I didn't know. I didn't want to know.

"Chihiro." My attention snapped to Sensei. "We still need to complete the mission. I'll take point. Can you three watch the back?" Why was Sensei talking to me about this? Kakashi still seemed frozen, eyes staring ahead even as he walked. Nose twitching. Shinobu, looking down. Oh. Out of the three of us, I was the most composed. Great.

"Yes Sensei." I answered, despite my dry mouth. Sensei smiled kindly, and walked up to the siblings. Genkei joined him, the guard he had talked to running back to help Yuko. I stayed next to my teammates, watching, and listening. Once we actually reached the gate, Genkei, and Sora reeled off more orders. The guard saw our hitai-ates, and nodded us through. The siblings had some sort of passport. The guard also called for a messenger, as we passed into the city. Genkei left then, after a few more words with Sora.

"Minato-san, is there any chance you can make sure our residence will be secure? Yuko has some things, but more couldn't hurt." Umi asked.

"Not a problem." Sensei promised. I swallowed. How...how much longer was this going to take?

"Good. We have a lot to talk about." Daichi admitted. "In the meantime, thank you for everything you did." Sora paused, studying us closely.

"Wait a minute. First kills?" Sensei nodded.

"Yes, it was their first time." All three siblings winced.

"I am so sorry." Umi said gently.

"I am as well." Daichi added, eyes full of sympathy.

"Killing is never easy. We can do a full debrief later. All that I ask is that we get secured. After that, I promise you can rest, and take time to process this." Sora finished. She led the way to a large house. City guards stood at the fence surrounding it, as did stable hands. They took the horses away while Sora spoke with the guards. After only a minute, the guards looked very nervous, and one left.

"It's big." Umi admitted, a bit ruefully. "I hope that's not too much of an issue." Sensei eyed the house. I reached out with my chakra sense, but I couldn't sense anything. I hadn't been able to since the...the battle finished. I was too rattled.

"It'll take a while." Sensei said. We entered, and a few servants met us, taking the bloodied traveling cloaks of the three siblings.

"We're working on getting the city guard to be alert, and to get a few extra guards around the house." Daichi explained quietly. Sensei nodded.

"We also have to meet with the daimyo. It'll take at least a few hours. Some of the extra guards will come with us. The others, will be stationed around the perimeter. I know it'll be easier for you to add defenses with an emptier house, so if you'll be patient, we'll be gone soon." Sora added. Then, she, Daichi, and Umi disappeared into the inner rooms of the house. We just...stood. Well, Sensei had pulled out a storage scroll and was muttering under his breath. But with nothing ordered for the moment...we just stood. Yuko came in, nodded, and headed in the same direction that the siblings had. Another twenty minutes passed before they came out. The three siblings looked much more like nobles, in very fancy clothes, and done up hair, and makeup for the two women. Yuko, had cleaned up and put on some sort of uniform.

"We'll see you soon." Yuko said. Then, they left. Sensei let out a long sigh, and turned to us. I had finally managed to ease my breathing. I was trying very, very hard not to think about the events of the afternoon. Maybe not the healthiest long term, but right now, it was all I had. Still couldn't sense anything. Kakashi, had eased from statue to simply numb. Still twitchy. I couldn't even begin to guess his thoughts. Shinobu looked perhaps the most shaken. She wasn't crying anymore, but her hands were shaking pretty badly.

"Alright. I know, that this is all very, very hard. As I said earlier, we still have to finish this mission. We need to push through, until a better time. I promise, I will listen, and be there for you when we're done. Right now, we need to secure the house. I don't have many privacy, barrier, alarm, or trap seals on me. We'll have to make more ourselves. Yuko-san, might help when she gets back. Let's get started." Sensei told us gently.

The first step, was actually to explore the house thoroughly, and notice all potential points of entry. Sensei promised he didn't care how we got the job done, as long as we got it done. The obvious points of entries, like the windows and exterior doors, Sensei put on the security seals he did have, adding to Yuko's work. Kakashi, Shinobu and I continued exploring, and stuck pretty close together. None of us left each other's sight. I needed to see my teammates. I think the others felt the same way. Finally, we brought back our reports to Sensei. He nodded, and gave us a pleased smile. Then, he led us through creating some of the other seals. Privacy, and barrier seals were simple enough that we could all do them. Sensei would take care of the others himself. It took a long time to get enough seals, far longer than it would have normally. But Sensei was infinitely patient with us, gently correcting slight mistakes. Putting up all the seals was easy, though we still stayed close to each other. By the time we finished, I sensed Yuko returning. Thank kami my chakra sense was back. I didn't like having it muted.

"They'll be along in a while. The daimyo is worried about the attack, so they're negotiating a few things." she explained. Sensei nodded.

"We've finished. Though if you have any more suggestions..." Yuko closed her eyes briefly, then looked around the main entrance. She smiled, and shook her head.

"No. You did excellent work. Kushina's been teaching you?"

"She has." Sensei said proudly. Yuko grinned.

"Very good! Anyway, I'm going to activate all the security now, and check in with the guards. You are free to get cleaned up, and get some rest. Debriefing probably won't happen until tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." Servants showed us to adjoining rooms, Sensei getting his own, and Kakashi, Shinobu, and I got the other. Sensei kept the door between the rooms open. I hesitated. Sleep, or clean up? Kakashi let out a massive yawn, shortly followed by myself and Shinobu. Ok. Sleep. Kakashi stared at the beds, then at me, and Shinobu. After a moment, he touched Shinobu's hand. She looked up.

"Sleepover?" Kakashi suggested. I couldn't help the small smile, and Shinobu nodded. We dragged a couple of the beds together, grabbed a bunch of pillows and blankets, and then settled down. Despite our exhaustion, I wasn't totally sure that we could actually fall asleep. Shinobu had curled up into a tight ball, Kakashi bracketing her on one side, and I curled up next to Kakashi. Shinobu finally relaxed into an uneasy sleep, then Kakashi dropped off. I saw Sensei coming toward us. He saw us, and smiled, before tugging another blanket over us.

"Sleep. It'll be alright." I sighed, as the extra warmth of the blanket settled around me. I closed my eyes, and drifted off as well. When I woke up, I blinked sleepily. I had finally slept peacefully, and didn't really want it to end. I listened. Pitch black. House quiet, Sensei sleeping nearby, my teammates curled up with me. Everyone safe. Giving in to the warmth of my teammates, I snuggled in closer, and went back to sleep. Hours later, I finally woke up fully. It was still very, very dark.

While I slept, my teammates and I had shifted positions. Shinobu, still curled into a ball, had shifted so she was curled into my side. Her arms, around Kakashi, her face buried in his fluffy hair. Kakashi, curled around both Shinobu and I, a free arm loosely wrapped around me. His face pressed into the space between my head, and Shinobu's. I heard a quiet chuckle, and blinked up at Sensei.

"Good morning. Ready to get up?"

"Um.." I was awake, but I really didn't want to disturb my friends. But then, Kakashi's nose started to twitch. His eyes opened tiredly, still sniffing. He did pause when he realized how Shinobu had latched onto him, but managed to turn his head.

"Sensei."

"I have tea ready, if you want it." Kakashi hesitated. I saw a similar reluctance in him to get up. We were rather cozy, and peaceful for the moment. Shinobu whimpered slightly in her sleep, then, her eyes shot open.

"It's ok. We're here." Kakashi said. Shinobu blinked, then sighed in relief. Now that we were all awake, tea seemed like an excellent idea. We untangled ourselves, and made our way to Sensei. A tray, with a teapot and four cups sat ready. Sensei poured all of us cups. Shinobu had a bit of trouble holding her cup, her hands were still shaking pretty badly. Sensei reached out with one hand, helping her steady the cup enough to take a sip. I sipped from my own cup. A very soothing fruit tea, probably just what we needed.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" Sensei asked calmly. The sheer amount of calm, and patience emitting from Sensei helped us all to relax.

"We...we killed." I muttered.

"You did. Some would say that killing is part of being a ninja. Some say that it's even our job, so we shouldn't feel anything. However, that particular comment, is made by people who have a very specific, and one track idea of what ninja are supposed to be."

"So what are ninja? I mean...what are we supposed to be?" Kakashi asked uncertainly.

"Everyone has their own ninja way. Their own goals, their own style. For example, I want to be the best shinobi I can be, but I'm going to get to that goal by being loyal, and respectful."

"Even to enemies?" I asked.

"Respectful even to them. They're people, and have dignity. If I'm going to kill an enemy, I'm going to make it as quick as I can." Sensei explained. We fell silent for a while, sipping at our tea.

"Then what will we be?" I asked.

"That is for you to decide. Some aim only for strength, or power. Some aim to have no emotions, to be the tools that many think they are anyway. Some decide to never give up. Some decide to never go back on a promise. There's something for everyone."

"Sensei, how...how does that help us right now?" Kakashi asked. Sensei sighed.

"It might not. For now, if you hadn't acted as you did, what might have happened?"

"We...we could have died. We could have gotten our clients killed." I admitted. I really hated thinking about this, but I knew this would help us move on. Accept, heal, and move on.

"Correct. While in this case, I admit our clients are...maybe not we expected, most clients aren't like them." Sensei studied all of us, and got reluctant nods.

"What are you all feeling right now?" Sensei asked. I blinked. He could just feel our chakra...well, not Shinobu's, but still. But maybe...asking was supposed to help?

"I...I knew ninja had to kill on some missions. But...it was...it's scary." I said.

"How so?"

"We just...we reacted so fast." Kakashi muttered.

"You did. You may not want to hear this, but I am proud of you. You remembered your training, and acted as you needed to. Even better, you weren't injured, and our clients are safe." Shinobu put down her cup.

 _I didn't like it._ she signed slowly. Sensei sighed, and hugged her briefly.

"I don't blame you. Killing isn't pretty, and most people I know don't like it. I don't like doing it either."

"Sensei, it's...just hard." Kakashi admitted.

"I know. Keep talking to me, all of you. Talk with each other. When we get home, Kakashi, Chihiro, talk to your parents. Shinobu, you continue to talk with me, and Kushina, alright?" Shinobu nodded.

"Ok." Kakashi agreed.

"Thanks Sensei." I added. We finished our tea, as the light slowly increased. then I sensed someone coming towards Sensei's door. Sensei got up, and had a very quiet conversation with someone. Then, he came back to us.

"There's baths available for us. Come on." We grabbed our bags, and followed the servant to the bath area. As we passed one area, we heard a voice. It was Sora, singing softly from up ahead.

"I see my friends, through the fire's glow. In the moonlight clearing, we sing and laugh, and share memories." Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened. That...I hadn't hear that song in...memories, from my past life flashed before my eyes, memories connected to that song. The tears slid down my face, and I didn't stop them. The song was soothing, easing my racing thoughts and feelings about the previous day. Then, I froze as all the puzzle pieces came crashing down, and clicked. Kami. The interactions, the battle, the song, it all fit now. Sora...Daichi...Umi...Yuko...I knew them. I...had either created, or helped create their characters, for stories. And I had done it...with...my eyes slid to Shinobu. No...it was all impossible...but...with chakra...maybe?

"Chihiro? You coming?" Sensei asked. All of my teammates were looking at me curiously, and worriedly. I wiped my tears away.

"Yeah." I hurried after my team. This, could be dealt with later. And...I wanted to double check a few things. With the mission, I didn't completely trust my own thoughts. We arrived at the baths, and split, since it was sectioned off. Shinobu and I slipped gratefully into the hot water after washing. We may have spent extra time scrubbing vigorously to get the...feel of battle off. I didn't care too much. The scrubbing felt really, really good.

"So..." I started. "Are...are you really ok?" Shinobu took a deep breath.

_I...I don't know. I...you, Kakashi-kun, and Sensei are ok. Safe. What...what Sensei said made sense. It's...just a lot._

"It may have been necessary. But I'm not going to concentrate on the details." I agreed. Shinobu nodded sadly.

"Just...remember you can talk to all of your family, ok? Also, I think it's ok if you want to drop the honorific on my name." I offered. Shinobu hesitated, then smiled slightly.

 _Thanks. You can do the same._ The tension sort of eased after that, at least, before we heard a loud splash, then loud protests from Kakashi. We listened carefully, and the protests were cut off with another splash.

"It sounds like Sensei...dunked Kakashi." I said wonderingly. Shinobu's eyes were wide, but then she smiled slightly.

 _Kushina-san is his girlfriend._ I laughed. Kushina's pranking had rubbed off on Sensei! I already knew it had rubbed off a little on Shinobu, but this was too funny.

"Oh, that is so funny! You know, ninja can be so good with pranks if we want to be. It's also fun to show off, even with little things." Shinobu frowned thoughtfully. I looked at her curiously.

"What is it?"

_One...one of my opponents used senbon. Small, but damaging. What...what if a higher ranked justu can be made small?_

"Huh?"

 _Suriyūdan. Chakra dependent, people make one, big. But...using the same amount of chakra, you make more than one?_ I blinked. This...this wasn't simply getting better at a technique. No, this...this was inventing a new one.

"That...sounds very interesting. And really cool."

_I...I don't know how. Suriyūdan has lots of seals. I...don't want to add more._

"Well just because you have an idea that's related to a technique, you don't have to just add more signs on. Make your own set. Take inspiration from other techniques. Lots of techniques take inspiration from others, so you can do research on that." I suggested. Shinobu nodded thoughtfully.

"Shinobu, Chihiro, I think breakfast might be ready. Come on out!" Sensei called through the thin wall.

"Yes Sensei!" I called. We scrambled out of the water, getting dried off and dressed in clean clothes. Shinobu put her hair into her mission bun, then started braiding my hair.

"If you want, I'll help you with this. I'll help with the research, or if you just want to bounce ideas, so just ask." I offered, as Shinobu tied off the braid. Her fingers paused, then, she gave my shoulders a quick squeeze. I looked up, to see her smiling.

 _Thank you._ I couldn't help grinning. Just like that, we had a project, something fun to work on. Cool. Sensei and Kakashi, both with damp hair, met us outside the baths. Another servant led us up to a room with a large table, filled with food, and cushions to sit on. Sora, Daichi, Umi, and Yuko were all there, looking refreshed, and in their more practical clothes again. Genkei was there too, sitting next to Sora. I blinked. Black hair, topknot, with ornament, and practical clothes like yesterday. He felt familiar too...and with his closeness to Sora...my eyes widened. Double swords, brief manner, I knew him too. I couldn't help a small smile forming. I had always wanted them to get together. In this life, it seems like they were! Finally! I also raised an eyebrow at the extremely strong chakra signatures emanating from them. They had been muted before. My team and I sat across from the others, and the servant who had escorted us closed the door, leaving just us. I felt a slight jolt on my chakra sense, almost like an elastic band had snapped across it. Sensei raised an eyebrow.

"Those are serious security seals. It feels like the Hokage's office if a mission is classified." Yuko smiled.

"Technically, this debriefing is." That got everyone's attention. Sensei frowned slightly, but before he could ask, Sora held up a hand.

"But it's also time for breakfast. We can talk, and eat at the same time." She said firmly, pouring tea. We filled our plates before any more questions were asked.

"How do you feel?" Umi asked.

"Better. Sensei dunked me in the baths." Kakashi grumbled. Sensei shrugged.

"I did say you needed to not hide your emotions Kakashi, at least not around your team. I think the dunking did you some good." I giggled at Kakashi's expression, and smiled sweetly as he turned that pout on me.

"Just think Kashi-kun. If the baths weren't separated, it would have been so much worse." Kakashi turned pink, and glared.

"Chihiro!"

"Well you two are definitely back to normal." Sensei said mildly. I shrugged.

"Getting there." Shinobu nodded.

"I'm not sure if this will help, but when you have to kill again, don't think of the destruction you caused. Think of the lives you saved, of the living things around you, your bonds with your team. If you focus on the positive, that will help you not focus on the negative." Umi said.

"Of course, don't needlessly cause destruction or take lives either." Daichi added. Umi nodded. Kakashi, Shinobu, and I exchanged a glance. That was...different. Very different from the ninja perspective. Though privately in my head, it only confirmed a few things about these people. Still, it was very good advice.

"Thank you." I said.

"Of course. Now, I think we have a lot of explanations." Genkei said. Clearly, he had been told everything that happened.

"Just a few." Daichi said mildly. Genkei snorted, and Sora sighed again.

"Daichi, stop it. Let's do proper, and full introductions. Genkei?"

"Full name of Genkei Danuja. I'm another noble, and Sora's fiancé. My clan is descended from samurai, and all members receive training. We don't really use shinobi, or regular guard techniques." Genkei said, bowing slightly. His eyes twinkled at the stunned expressions of my team and I.

"The Shiki clan, is descended from both samurai and shinobi. Every so often, our members go back to our family in the Land of Iron, or Konohagakure, to become fully trained samurai or shinobi. During that time, they also learn any new techniques available, and when they come back home, they pass on those teachings. Therefore, we've also been taught to fight." Daichi explained.

"Then of course, you know I'm an Uzumaki. I made chunin before I had to run, so I'm pretty well trained too." Yuko added.

"That...explains quite a bit. That certainly explains why you fought so well." Sensei said slowly.

"Yep. They're good, probably around chunin level themselves." Yuko agreed. "Though so are you three. This mission may have had your first kills, but you handled yourself very impressively." Kakashi, Shinobu and I exchanged looks. Seriously? We trained hard, we knew we were good, but...well, it was one thing for Sensei to praise us. It was another for others who knew about the ninja system to compliment us. Especially since they weren't part of the village.

"Really?" Kakashi asked.

"Really." Yuko said, smiling. I blew out a breath. Ok then.

"Alright, that gives you some background. Next part of the debrief." Sora said, nodding to Yuko. The Uzumaki woman grabbed something from the floor next to her, and put it on the table. We leaned closer. It was a hitai-ate, with a strange symbol etched on. I frowned. Wasn't that...

"That's from Iwagakure." Sensei said, tone going flat. Yuko nodded.

"All of the enemy shinobi had these. Maybe not worn when they attacked, but never get between an Uzumaki and a seal."

"So they had them in storage seals?"

"Yes. I didn't get too good of a sense of their abilities, but they were good."

"I'd guess most of them were chunin, but I fought a few jonin." Sensei looked to Shinobu and I. I shrugged.

"I was a little preoccupied Sensei. A few kept dodging my attacks, so I think I automatically assumed they were higher ranked. And they were several years older." Shinobu nodded slowly.

"And...how many were there, in the end?" Kakashi asked. I wanted to know too, but I didn't.

"Twenty five. All dead. We lost four guards, another two severely injured, the last two lightly injured." Umi answered. I blew out a breath. I knew I had killed three, Kakashi had killed at least two or three, and Shinobu had killed a few. I didn't know how many. I also didn't know how many Sensei had killed. I shook my head. In the end, it didn't matter who killed how many. All that mattered was that we were ok. 

"So that raises the question, why target you? Iwa is usually after other ninja, not noble families. Even if you are skilled with various techniques." Sensei asked, a little suspiciously. That made sense, and after all of this, a mission upgrade was probably in order. And if we hadn't been told everything, that was annoying...except...it kind of seemed like this case, might have been necessary. I only had my suspicions from my previous life to go on for that though. 

"We know. Last part of the debriefing." Daichi agreed.

"We are sorry for not giving you all of the information, but we had no idea that other shinobi would be after us." Umi said. The raised even more questions. Sora smiled slightly, and raised her hand again, before we could even ask.

"Our family has a massive spy network, spread throughout the world. Your sensei, Jiraiya-san, checks in. We're not part of his spy network, but we'll exchange information from time to time." She explained.

"In any case, very, very few people know about our network. That, is our clan's main service to the daimyo; information." Umi added.

"We've been undercover ourselves sometimes, which is part of the reason we're as well trained as we are. It can be dangerous. Our parents died in the Second Shinobi War, after passing on vital information. Since then, we've been, Sora's been head of the family. We have a few relatives and close friends scattered, all listening, and watching." Daichi said.

"And our marriage arrangements are a little different. I'm joining the Shiki clan, instead of Sora joining the Danuja clan. But I'm still keeping my clan name. Part of the reason, is because I'm part of their spy network." Genkei finished. Sora smiled mischievously.

"We also occasionally like breaking tradition. The daimyo approved, so everything will be fine." I blew out a long breath. I almost smiled with everything, their roles were so similar to before.

"That's...a lot. And different." Kakashi mused. He blinked, then looked a little wary. I wasn't really sure if that was rude or not...Umi smiled at him reassuringly.

"It is. I know it's a lot to take in, but we do appreciate your understanding."

"So...did you know about me? Before we actually met?" Sensei asked curiously.

"A bit. We recognized your name of course, when you introduced yourself. Jiraiya-san actually told a few stories, if he had the time." Daichi said.

"All good things. Apparently, you were an adorable student." Yuko teased. Sensei sighed, and let out a small groan.

"Sensei, why?"

"From what I've gathered, it's almost part of the job of a sensei to embarrass their students." Sora said with a smile.

"Ok, apart from that, I have to admit we're curious about your skills shown. Just how did you move so fast, and what was that ball of chakra?" Yuko asked, a bit eagerly. Sensei smiled, looking very pleased.

"I've figured out a teleportation jutsu, and the chakra is the Rasengan. It's not finished yet, but I intend it to be the ultimate form of chakra manipulation. There's a lot I'm still working on. What you saw and sensed, was the most recent breakthrough."

"That is amazing." I said, wide eyed. Again, I knew that at some point, Sensei had developed it. But it was still such a cool jutsu! Sensei grinned.

"And you know different types of elemental jutsu? All of you?" Yuko asked, switching her attention to us. I don't think any of us expected that, we recoiled just a little.

"We know some." Kakashi said, after a quick glance at Sensei.

"Very, very good. Again, you are all impressive and skilled." Sora said warmly. We ate for a little while in silence, but then Sensei asked a question.

"So, you were attacked for your information network? That seems odd, if few people know about it."

"We don't think we were attacked for our spies. Though it is something we'll look into. As nobles, we're targeted by bandits. But the shinobi, or whoever hired them, could have been after us because we are so close to the daimyo. We are influential in court." Sora explained. Genkei frowned thoughtfully.

"You know, there's been a few unusual things about the bandits over the past couple of years..." Sora nodded almost immediately.

"You're right. We'll look into that later." Judging by the slightly frustrated looks on Umi, Daichi, and Yuko's faces, they were used to the two fiancés not making much sense. I hid a smile. Another trait they seemed to have carried over from their previous incarnations. Daichi sighed this time, and turned to us.

"We are a little more worried, since it was shinobi this time. We believe that they could infiltrate the city, and continue to target us. With our guard practically gone, will you be willing to extend your mission? We'll pay more, with regards to both the extension, and rank."

"I'd like to send a message to the Hokage, but we will accept." Sensei agreed.

"Thank you. When we have more guards trained, then you should be able to go home." Sora said.

"It won't take as long as you might think. Yuko's a stickler for training, and my clan has a few promising cadets. The daimyo offered to attach more of the city guard as well." Genkei reassured us.

"The city guard is temporary, but your family's cadets will help. We can also send a messenger to the manor house, and let them know of the situation. They'll send more guards." Daichi added.

"I think just a week or two extension." Umi summed up.

"That works just fine. Can you brief us on our expected duties then?" Sensei asked.

"Sure, that's easy. Within the house, it's a more casual guard. The house is incredibly well protected, especially with your additions. I don't suppose you'd leave those seals there? I'll be able to control them just fine." Yuko said. Sensei nodded. 

"Not a problem."

"Great! Then out in the city, it's pretty much like it was on the road. Just provide escort. If they get called to the daimyo, then please, go with them. Your hitai-ate should give you a pass of sorts. Also, you'll be coordinating with me." Yuko explained. Sensei nodded, and turned to Genkei.

"It wasn't in our initial mission parameters, but do you need protection, or an escort? You're clearly a part of this group, so I can see you being targeted." Genkei smiled, but shook his head.

"Thank you very much, but no. I have a few samurai guards, and the daimyo assigned a few extra city guards just in case. Even though Sora and I are engaged, we're keeping it very, very quiet. That's kept the danger to a much lower level."

"Fair enough."

"We do have places around the house for you to practice in your downtime, if you wish. There's an enclosed courtyard, and a dojo." Sora offered. Sensei nodded again.

"We saw, and thank you."

Throughout the next two weeks, we stayed quite busy. We got to see the city, which was much, much bigger, busier, and louder than Konoha. More than once, we were wincing at the noise. And we had to use our evasion skills to just maneuver through the crowds sometimes. And it was interesting, to see how much respect Sora, Daichi, and Umi had. Regular people made sure not to inconvenience them, but at the same time, were happy to see them. Other nobles didn't get the same respect. But the siblings were also highly respected among other nobles. More than once, another noble in the city came up to talk with one of them. And Sensei, Kakashi, Shinobu and I were also subject to a bit of gossip. Apparently, ninja doing bodyguard duty weren't always normal. Besides the curiosity for all of us, I noticed that Shinobu still got strange looks. Not...hostile, or not as hostile as home. But still. When she could, she avoided the city.

I thought about her a lot when I wasn't doing anything. By now, it was clear that Shinobu was an incarnation from my previous life. However, I didn't know who she had been... I think. Her personality didn't really match anything I could remember. I didn't think she was a character from any story. Which left people from my life. But no one had been as shy as Shinobu. Yet...not many people had known about those stories. That narrowed things down. I sighed. The pieces would come together, eventually. I just hated waiting.

When we did get downtime, we trained. We couldn't really work on any super destructive or powerful jutsu, but we could work on other skills. Genjutsu, and taijutsu, low ranked ninjutsu, not to mention evasion techniques, chakra manipulation, concealment, and awareness. Sensei set up hide and seek games in the house to test us. While the house was big, it still wasn't much room for three genin. Still, the smaller area did make us think more. We also were close enough to mastery in our primary affinities that we started working on our secondary affinities. Kakashi and I talked quite a bit about lightening manipulation, before Sensei set us all basic exercises. And, in the evenings, Shinobu and I worked on her ideas for new jutsu.

A week into our extension saw us in the bedroom, Shinobu's notes spread out on the floor. I looked over her shoulder. We had started with what she wanted from the jutsu, which was basically mini water dragons that she could control individually. From there, we had noted which jutsu were similar, and the hand seals.

"I'm still not sure of the connections between the hand seals. There's got to be something." I sighed. Shinobu nodded, a little absently. I studied her notes, and frowned thoughtfully.

"What rank are you planning on making this?" Shinobu looked up, and frowned.

_What?_

"Well, Suriyūdan is B-rank, Suidan is C-rank, Hōsenka is C-rank, Homuranagase is C-rank, and you said Air Bullets were C-rank too. So how powerful do you think this is?" Shinobu frowned thoughtfully.

 _If the power of the Suriyūdan is there...but has the flexibility of Hōsenka...I can see B-rank_.

"Check with Sensei, when you have a prototype?" I suggested. I was pretty sure part of the ranking for jutsu was the difficulty in mastery. Sensei would have a better idea for that though. Shinobu nodded again, making a few more notes. Then, her head popped up, just as I sensed Kakashi coming our way. He opened the door, and nodded a greeting. 

"Chihiro, Shinobu, Sensei wants us. Shift assignments."

"Coming!" I helped Shinobu clean up her notes, then we followed Kakashi down the hallway. Shinobu ended up getting first shift, I got second, and Kakashi got third. Finally, the morning of our last day arrived. Yuko greeted us at breakfast with a smile.

"You're free to go home! We've got enough guards now, and we're training more as a precaution. We also know to keep security higher, so that helps. Oh, and we'll all stay in touch, especially if you do the same."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll get Kushina to write too." Sensei promised. Yuko grinned.

"Thanks! And if we ever get free time, we'll try to come visit Konoha. Who knows, you might get a few C-ranks for helping out around the house, just so you can visit."

"We'll look forward to it. See you later!" We weren't in any particular hurry to get home, but it had been a longer mission than expected. We missed Konoha, so Sensei pushed the pace a bit. It took another week to get home, and once inside the village, Sensei looked at us.

"Alright, you know the drill. Mission reports first. Then we can all go home." Individual mission reports were something that Sensei had insisted on for the last two months. I knew they were necessary, that they helped keep the village organized, but they were tedious. Who knew that a military village, essentially, needed so much paperwork to run? And that wasn't even counting the clans! I did not envy the ninja in charge of sorting through all that paperwork. I really didn't envy the ninja going through this mission. We had to fill out a longer mission report in the first place, and then Sensei had to fill out forms to request not only a rank change, but an explanation why, and a request for an upgrade in pay. Finally, we finished.

I waved goodbye to my teammates, and finally made it home. Both my parents were inside. I dropped my bag tiredly by the door, and slowly started taking off my sandals. The small thumps I made brought both my parents out to the entryway.

"Chihiro!"

"Hi mom. Hi dad. I'm fine, just really-" I yawned hugely. "Really tired." Mom and Dad crushed me in a hug as soon as I had both sandals off.

"Your mission lasted longer than we expected. We were worried something had gone wrong." Mom said, pulling back to study me. Her Sharingan were active, Dad's too. After a moment though, their eyes faded back to black, and they embraced me again.

"It was...weird."

"Sit down, and talk with us." Dad said, his detective persona leaking through. I did so, almost everything spilling out. I didn't mention my connection to the siblings, Genkei, or Yuko. I didn't say Yuko was an Uzumaki. I didn't say the things we had learned about the Shiki information network. But everything else, the bandits, the battle, the time in the city, that I told my parents.

"Oh Chihiro. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, especially on your first mission out of the village." Mom whispered, taking out my braid.

"Killing is never easy. Sounds like Minato-san gave some good advice though." Dad mused. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Do you want something to eat, or just shower and go to bed?" Mom asked. I considered briefly. I was tired, washing off the road dust would be nice, and I was starving.

"Um...everything?"

"Get a shower, and you'll have a plate when you're done."

"Thanks mom!" Twenty minutes later saw me with wet hair at the dining table, inhaling food.

"So was there anything more fun?" Dad asked. I swallowed yet another giant mouthful of rice.

"I've mastered just about every fire jutsu for the clan, and others Sensei taught me." Dad got a sly look on his face, like he was going to start teasing me. I paused.

"Really? I'll have to take you out to a training field tomorrow, if you're free."

"Really?" I asked eagerly. Dad and I hadn't trained in ages! He grinned.

"I have a day off. Double check with Minato-san, and if you're free, I promise I'll train with you tomorrow." I got off my chair and tackled him in a hug.

"Thank you!" Dad laughed, then I returned to eating.

"How's the rest of your team doing with everything?" Mom asked. I thought for a few minutes.

"Sensei...is Sensei. I mean, he's seen this sort of thing before, so he's used to it, I guess. Kakashi is doing ok, and so is Shinobu. I think they're both still shaken up, but some of the training Sensei put us through helped us focus on other things. And Sensei encouraged us to talk to him, and our parents."

"Good. Minato-san's much more open-minded, and willing to take mental health into account more than most." Dad said, satisfied. I looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Most ninja bury any feelings that they have very, very deeply. Regrets, sorrow, things like that. Negative feelings, in our line of work, are inevitable. We can easily see comrades die, or be heavily injured. We can lose clients, fail missions. But we don't show any emotions over that. Eventually, that kind of things can turn inwards, and drive us crazy."

"Especially our clan. Our feelings are stronger than many, especially our love, and our hate. It shows, in our eyes." Mom said.

"The Sharingan."

"I'm not saying don't feel. Just be careful about if your emotions are clouding your judgment, or not." Mom explained. So that was why my parents had put me through so much emotional training. Huh.

"Minato-san, unlike most people, understands that talking through hard experiences, talking through those emotions, with the right people, can help. And Minato-san is making sure all of his students know that." Dad finished.

"Oh, ok." I finished eating, then let out a massive yawn. Mom and Dad smiled.

"Bed time." I happily crawled into my own bed, grateful that Mom had added an extra blanket. Even in the Land of Fire, December could be cold. Still, there were plenty of fun things to look forward to in the next weeks. With that happy thought, I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I know chapters have been updating at really weird times. School year has been starting up, and everything's a bit chaotic. I'll upload chapters as soon as I have them finished. Sorry for all the waiting in the meantime!
> 
> Just as a heads up, I will also be going back to some previous chapters, and editing them. Nothing too major, just a few things to make continuity a bit better.
> 
> I have a friend who had been unofficially beta-reading for me. We finally decided to make things official! More will be explained after this post.
> 
> Lastly, thank you always for reading!


	14. Chapter 13: No Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danzo rears his ugly head again, and this time, Chihiro and Kakashi find out. Chaos and suspicion ensues.

Kakashi Hatake 

I raced across the rooftops. Tou-san was already at Sensei's house, but had forgotten one of the presents, so had sent me to go get it. Holding the long package in one hand, I had to smile. I knew what the present was, I had gotten one for my own birthday back in September. Now, it was Shinobu's birthday, and I knew she was overwhelmed, even if it was just her family and friends, and she had gotten more used to people. Kushina had promised to keep things small. That promise made me relieved since I didn't like big parties much either, but I also wasn't as shy as Shinobu.

I arrived out of breath, and Sensei let me in. The house was brightly lit, glowing in the darkening evening. Extra decorative lanterns hung in various places, as well as a couple of paper garlands and other paper decorations that Shinobu had no doubt made. Both Kushina and Aki-san were in the kitchen, cheerfully arguing with each other over a dish. Rin, who had gotten permission to stay out late, was sitting with Obito on the floor next to the kotatsu, playing with origami paper, turning it into various fun designs. Alright, so maybe they had helped make some of the decorations too. Kind of wished Obito wasn't here at least, but he had been more tolerable lately, and besides, it was Shinobu's birthday, not mine.

As soon as I was let in, Sensei went back to a conversation that had been going on between himself, tou-san, and Daido-san. The table in the living room had been swept clear of papers for once, and a small pile of presents was on it instead. I added the long parcel to the pile, and went to sit next to Shinobu on the couch. Chihiro sat on her other side. Shinobu looked slightly uncomfortable, simply because it was noisier than a usual dinner party. Chihiro smiled, though that wasn't unusual lately. She had told us that Daido-san had put her through the Uchiha coming of age ritual, and Kazou-sama himself has been impressed with her skill.

"Dinner!" Kushina called after another half hour. Dinner included cake, which wasn't overly sweet. I had learned that like me, Shinobu wasn't fond of super sweet things either. After we ate, it was time for presents.

Sensei and Kushina had built Shinobu a custom basic fuinjutsu set, and Chihiro had bought her patterned origami paper. I smiled again. Shinobu's talent at paper folding had been fun, both Chihiro and I had received various designs. Sometimes, they also included notes. Chihiro's parents had gotten her a set of coupons for Uchiha bakeries. Obito had brought a framed photo of himself, Rin, and Shinobu at the previous New Year's festival. Rin had made her a bead bracelet. I had gotten her a sword cleaning and care kit, a hint at what she could expect next. She knew it too, by the slight smile. When she opened tou-san's present, I leaned forward. Surprisingly, tou-san hadn't gotten Shinobu a kodachi. He had gotten her two tanto, which slid into a back sheath. Well, that was interesting.

"I thought two tanto might suit you a bit better, considering our lessons." tou-san explained, grinning. Shinobu smiled.

_Thank you._

"Mind you, now that you've started to have a bit of a specialty in kenjutsu, expect lessons to get more intense. I'll still be teaching you other things, but we'll focus more on developing your own style." Shinobu looked around at everyone.

_Thank you, everyone. This was...a lot, but very nice._

"We're glad you're happy." Sensei told her, leaning over the couch and ruffling her hair. The party didn't last too much longer past that, and tou-san and I walked around the village a bit, enjoying the night. It wasn't too late yet, but some civilian stores were starting to close down, so it was a lot quieter.

"Tou-san?"

"Yes?"

"Why exactly did you get Shinobu two tanto? She's doing well with either one bokken or two in lessons."

"She is. But I did that for a few reasons. Already, she's incredibly fast, and her use of speed as she grows older will be one of her primary skills in combat. She's built that way, with long legs, and a smaller and more slender build. She'll likely still be on the smaller side when she's fully grown. So between that and her speed, a smaller blade, like the tanto, will be most effective. She'll be one to dance in combat, darting in and out, spinning and ducking." Tou-san rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "She already does that, but it'll get even better. It's not a fighting style many ninja are accustomed to, even if they are smaller. Most ninja prefer to get in your face, or stay in hiding completely. She already knows how to balance both. To add to that, her use of the reversed grip will surprise even more opponents. And she's skilled at not favoring which hand she uses."

"Oh. So what about me?" I asked curiously. Tou-san laughed.

"For you, I think you'll grow to be tall and slender. You'll have a long reach, and be quick on your feet. You'll be very diverse, good at creating your own techniques. Don't think I haven't seen you mixing styles when you've practiced on your own. You'll be good with a tanto as well, but with a longer reach, you'd be better suited overall to a full katana."

"Oh, ok. And what about Chihiro?"

"Somewhere in between your end height, and Shinobu-chan's, I think. Aki-san is on the shorter side, but Daido-san is tall. So, Chihiro-chan will be in the middle. She's pretty evenly proportioned, also quick on her feet, but primarily favors her right hand. She'll be better suited to a katana, like you."

"Will she get a kodachi for her birthday then?"

"Now, you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise, would you?"

"Tou-san, it's not like I'm going to tell her!" I protested. I definitely wasn't pouting. Tou-san laughed again.

"Alright, yes, I will. When is her birthday again?"

"March 28th."

We headed for the Inuzuka clan district. New puppies had been born lately. And...tou-san always felt closer kaa-san when we visited. I guess I did too, even though I had never known her. But we visited the Memorial Stone, and the private shrine on our land. Visiting the puppies was just more fun. After a while, we said goodbye, and headed home. Our clan compound wasn't too far away from the Inuzuka compound, so it only took a little over five minutes for us to walk home. Full shinobi speed would be faster, but I didn't mind going slow. Spending time, any time with tou-san was fun. We reached the house, and tou-san turned on a single light, before looking at me seriously.

"Right then. I have some work to do yet tonight. Remember, don't leave the house, and keep all the security seals active. I should be back tomorrow."

"Yes tou-san."

"See you later Kakashi."

"Bye tou-san."

The next months passed in a blur, with New Years celebrations, a few more missions, and so much more training with Sensei, Kushina, tou-san, and Chiko-sensei. They pushed hard, but it was ok. We learned so much, progressing in leaps and bounds. That didn't go unnoticed by others in the village.

One evening, I was walking home from training, when I felt an odd sensation. It almost felt like someone had touched me with their chakra. But who had it been? Overhead, I briefly smelled an unfamiliar scent, and looking up, witnessed a shadow flash by. What? I sniffed again, but the scent wasn't one I had ever smelled before. Before anything else could happen, I smelled another scent that I knew completely, and at this point, almost instinctively. Sure enough, I heard Chihiro's familiar voice.

"Kakashi!" I looked up again, not expecting the tone of the Uchiha girl's voice. Fear and worry permeated not only her voice, but her scent. I saw those same emotions displayed on her face too.

"Chihiro?"

"Shinobu's in trouble. Come on!" I leaped up on the roof without hesitating, but began asking more questions, even as we started running.

"What...I thought I saw a shadow, but..."

"I don't know fully what's going on, but Shinobu pinged her chakra at me. I don't know what that shadow was. I do know she's in the market, and she's not alone."

"Who's with her?"

"Danzo."

"Elder Shimura?"

"That's him." I was surprised by the loathing in Chihiro's tone. She hadn't even bothered using any honorifics for him, which surprised me again. Chihiro was usually really polite. And I was even more surprised to see her eyes were red.

"Uh Chihiro? Your eyes are red." I pointed out as we paused briefly to catch our breath. Chihiro blinked.

"They are? I didn't notice, but let's see..." A moment later, her eyes returned to their usual black.

"What..."

"My Sharingan activated. Uchiha clan dojutsu. Now come on." Chihiro told me, before racing to the next roof. I continued to keep pace with her. She had to be boosting her speed with chakra, and after another ping, started using Shunshin. I copied her, and we finally arrived in the market. We looked over the bustling people, and spotted Shinobu, her arms full with a large sack, a wall of a shop to her back, alley to her left, and Danzo flanked by two jōnin in front of her.

"What the..." I muttered. None of this made sense. Chihiro almost immediately poked me, hard. Before I could do more than glare, she discreetly pointed to the alley below. Barely, just barely, I could see darker shadows towards the back. And my nose told me there were definitely two humans there.

"There's two ANBU in the alleyway." Chihiro whispered.

"How do-"

"Their chakra is way more focused and bigger than most jōnin."

"Chihiro, what is going on?" I demanded.

"Basically? If we don't act now, I can guarantee that we'll never see Shinobu again." Chihiro said in a clipped tone. I froze, then snarled.

"We need to get her then."

"Follow me." It took a bit of maneuvering to get down, and Chihiro insisted on going towards the middle of the market, further away from Shinobu than I thought made sense. But then, Chihiro broke into a civilian run in Shinobu's direction. I took off after her, and then saw the market opening up, and Shinobu towards the edge, closer to the alleyway. Chihiro nearly crashed into one of the jōnin, and tugged Shinobu's arm. I couldn't smell Shinobu at all, but despite that, she wasn't shaking yet. She didn't seem far from it though. I was honestly surprised she hadn't used Kawarimi yet. Why hadn't she run away?

"Shinobu! Come on, we're going to be late to the meeting!" Shinobu blinked then nodded. With an apologetic glance to the older shinobi, she followed Chihiro. As I passed Danzo, I smelled anger, which made no sense. Why was he angry, and not simply annoyed that kids were getting in the way? Why was he talking with Shinobu in the first place? Why were there ANBU hiding in the alley? What was with Chihiro's reaction? Nothing made sense! I scowled. Later. Everything could be answered later. For now, we needed to get out of here. Chihiro pulled Shinobu out to the main lanes of traffic, then tapped her shoulder.

"Tag! We'll get there faster." Smart, since we were still well within earshot of the disapproving elder. Shinobu lifted the sack slightly, and I shrugged.

"So figure it out. Come on!" I played tag with the two girls, but either Chihiro or I was always in the lead, slowly aiming toward Training Ground Three. I suspected Chihiro was still worried, or had sensed something when she poured on the speed again, close to the training grounds. And she flashed through hand seals, letting a genjutsu settle over us. Well, if misdirection was what she wanted, I could help. I flashed through a few hand seals myself, creating basic clones of all three of us once we reached a particularly twisty street. The clones continued down the street, while we cut to another one to reach the training grounds. We didn't stop until we were well into the forest. A shadowy figure jumped down in front of us, and I automatically reached for a kunai before recognizing Sensei's scent.

"Sensei," Chihiro gasped out.

"I know. Shinobu, come here. Kakashi, Chihiro, I'll be back in just a minute. Keep going. I'll track you." I heard the usual pop of displaced air when Sensei used Hiraishin, took a breath, then took after Chihiro, who was already moving. After barely another minute of running, Sensei was back, and taking the arm of each of us, teleported again.

The first thing I realized, as I got my breath back, was that we were very high up in a giant tree. The second thing, was that the air around us smelled like a forest, but also death. I recoiled, before feeling Chihiro's hand on my shoulder. The third thing was that there were three ANBU standing on the branch, outlined with a glow stick sitting on the branch itself. One of them, with a crane mask, had a hand on Shinobu's shoulder.

"Let her go!" Chihiro snarled.

"Easy Chihiro. They're friends." Sensei said calmly. Chihiro paused, still glaring at the ANBU. I studied Shinobu carefully, and sniffed the air. It was hard to filter out the forest scent, but...Shinobu was still tense, still afraid, but more relaxed than in the market. The hand on her shoulder wasn't gripping, more like reassuring. The ANBU, I hadn't smelled before, I think. One of the scents did seem vaguely familiar...

"Chihiro, I think it's ok." I said. Chihiro glanced briefly at me, then sighed and put the kunai away. Sensei, meanwhile, had been doing something along the branch.

"Seals are ready." he said, glancing at the ANBU.

"Wait a few more minutes. Taicho should be here by then." the crane masked ANBU said. Sure enough, we heard a whistle after a little bit.

"As the clouds shift-" the boar masked ANBU called.

"The moonlight shines." came the response. Another ANBU dropped down, and Sensei immediately activated the seals. Then, he sat down on the branch with a sigh, and turned to Shinobu.

"Alright." he said gently, opening up his arms. Shinobu shot toward him, curling up tightly into him as he wrapped his arms around her. We could hear the terrified sobs, and see her shaking. Sensei started humming, simply holding Shinobu. Chihiro glanced again towards the ANBU, but then cautiously worked her way along the branch to Shinobu. I followed. We joined in on the group hug. I felt Chihiro breathing hard, unevenly, but didn't think it was from running for so long. I smelled fear, and anger. She had known, or at least suspected something was very, very wrong, and now that the danger seemed to be past, her emotions were starting to come up. Shinobu's shaking slowly eased, but didn't completely stop.

"They were followed, but the ones following them lost the trail shortly before Training Ground Three. Nice work with the genjutsu and the clones by the way." the otter masked ANBU said. Chihiro stiffened, and turned to the ANBU, her Sharingan activating again and spinning. All four ANBU stiffened at the sight.

"Who exactly are you? Why are you here? Do you work for Danzo?" she demanded. She still didn't trust them. The otter masked agent glanced at Sensei, who thought for a moment, then nodded.

"They might as well know. You've watched them long enough to know they'll keep secrets. Not to mention, we're completely secure." Wait, what? We'd had ANBU watching us? Why?

"We're the team that watches Shinobu-chan, and protects her. We do not work for Danzo." the otter masked agent said. Chihiro had clearly not been expecting that answer. Whatever retort she had planned, disappeared. The spinning Sharingan slowed.

"Why does Shinobu need protection? Is it because of the orphanage?" I asked.

"We keep a closer eye on her because of that, but we've been watching her for years. In any case, we had felt the distress calls Shinobu-chan sent out tonight, and knew something was wrong. We didn't know what however." the boar masked agent admitted.

"You have no allegiance to Danzo?" Chihiro interjected. Sensei frowned.

"Chihiro, what-" Chihiro turned, and Sensei's eyes widened when he saw Chihiro's Sharingan.

"No Sensei! I need to be sure. Trust me." Sensei studied her, then nodded. Chihiro turned back to the ANBU.

"We do not have any allegiance to Danzo. We are loyal to the Hokage, and the village." the otter masked agent said calmly, if a bit warily.

"Danzo is only an elder. He has no jurisdiction over our missions." the crane masked agent spoke up.

"Danzo's always creeped my out." the dog masked agent muttered.

"Dog." Otter reprimanded him sharply. Dog apologized, but from his tone, he clearly wasn't sorry. Otter sighed.

"While unprofessional, Dog is right." Chihiro's glare rested on the boar masked ANBU, and he shrugged.

"Danzo can be very condescending, and usually is. He has respect as an elder, but he does not give us orders." Chihiro finally relaxed, and let out a long sigh, sitting on the branch.

"Chihiro, what is going on?" Sensei said, a note of command in his voice.

"I know that Danzo isn't just an elder. I know that he has a private army, called ROOT."

"What? How do you know that? That's top secret!" the otter masked ANBU hissed. Chihiro sighed, and rubbed her temples.

"You have to keep this a secret. Promise me. I don't want to go to T&I, I don't want to be interrogated by Kazou-sama, or the Hokage, or the council. And please keep an open mind. I know this will sound crazy."

"Chihiro, why would you think-" I asked confused. Chihiro glared at me. I shut up. Normally, I kind of liked arguing with her. But those red eyes were scary.

"Promise me. All of you." she snapped. "If not for my sake, then for Shinobu's, since this involves her as well." She got nods from myself, Sensei, and most of the ANBU. The otter masked agent studied her the longest, but then nodded.

"Alright." Chihiro took a breath, pulling something from a pocket. A string of beads. Worry beads? She fidgeted with them before finally speaking.

"Long story short? I have visions. Kind of like prophetic dreams." The entire area froze. I don't think any of us had been expecting that. But...we listened. Because we had promised to.

"Long version?" Sensei asked carefully.

"Those visions, fall under two categories. The first, which I'll call A, don't take into account certain people. The second, I'll call B, do. They seem to cover the past, present, and future. They can be very disjointed, so I don't know the full story."

"And Danzo is in those visions." Dog interjected worriedly. Chihiro nodded.

"He is. I know, for instance, that he has all ROOT agents branded with a control seal on their tongues. They are completely unable to talk about Danzo, or ROOT. I also know, that almost all ANBU teams have a ROOT infiltrator in them. That's why I insisted on making sure you were trustworthy. I couldn't trust you, until I knew you weren't working for him. It helps that Sensei seems to trust you." I stared at Chihiro, then looked at Sensei. His eyes were narrowed. It looked like he was putting something together. Shinobu was still shaking, but also staring at Chihiro.

"I want to know exactly what happened tonight." Sensei ordered.

"Shinobu sent out distress calls, a soft chakra ping. She's never done that before to me. Kakashi felt it too."

"About the same time I felt one, I saw a shadow passing overhead, with a scent I'd never smelled before. But...I think it was you." I looked at the crane masked agent.

"You've got a very good nose then, Hatake-kun. You're right." the ANBU acknowledged, tilting his head in respect. I blinked, then couldn't help the small glow of pleasure.

"I started to head to where I could feel Shinobu, and got Kakashi to come with me. We arrived at the market to see Danzo, with two jōnin bodyguards. They had cornered Shinobu. And in an alleyway next to them, were two ANBU." Shinobu curled up a bit further, and traced something on Sensei's hand. Sensei gave her a soft smile.

"Don't be ashamed. You tried everything you could. You tried to avoid him, and when you realized you couldn't, you called for help. In a situation where you know you couldn't win, you did so really well."

"We got Shinobu out, said we had a meeting to get to. We played tag to get to the training grounds, used a genjutsu and clones to misdirect." I finished.

"Good. And Shinobu, his chakra felt wrong again?" Shinobu nodded.

"Shinobu, you've run into Danzo before?" Chihiro asked sharply.

"Once. He asked her both times to come with him, saying that he could show her places in the village that she'd never been to before. This time, he said he was impressed with how much she had improved, and offered training." Sensei leaned back against the trunk, subtle killing intent lacing the air. He smelled so angry.

"So this is what Shikasho-sama meant. Danzo's after Shinobu." he sighed.

"I think so. Danzo handpicks recruits for ROOT, often using orphans. He kidnaps them, puts them through horrible training, and brainwashes them. I had suspected he was after Shinobu because of tonight, but since he's approached her already, now I'm sure." Shinobu whimpered slightly, then tugged on Chihiro's arm. With shaky fingers, she traced a single character on Chihiro's hand. Chihiro grimaced.

"Because Danzo likes talented people. He thinks you'll be easy to manipulate, that no one will miss you, and he'll want to make you into a weapon for him. It's what he does." For a while, we sat in silence, processing what we had learned. I couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if Danzo had succeeded, had gotten his hands on Shinobu. Chihiro had said that he forced his army into terrible training and brainwashed them. It was all too easy to picture dark rooms, with Shinobu's pretty eyes slowly becoming dulled and uncaring. For him to have focused his attention on my shy teammate...my hands clenched, and I vowed that I would never let Danzo harm Shinobu. I could see the same vow in Chihiro's Sharingan red eyes as our gazes met.

"Chihiro, did the visions just start? Or..." Sensei trailed off. Chihiro shrugged.

"I've had them ever since I can remember."

"Why not tell anyone? It's clear you want to help avoid some of the bad things you've seen."

"I honestly don't trust too many people. If I told my parents, they'd probably tell Fugaku-san, or aunt Mikoto, or even Kazou-sama. The clan elders have already discussed how they can use my talents. If they knew about my visions, it would be so much worse. At first, I thought that if I told you, you'd bring me to T&I. I know you care for me, but most of the information in my head is priceless. T&I is ruthless, and wouldn't hold back against me, even though I'm just a kid and a member of a founding clan. Besides, if T&I knew, odds are they'd report to the village council and the Hokage. With Danzo being on the council, he'd be able to come after me because of what I knew. And with the council being the Hokage's friends, there's no telling if he'd actually believe me. And if information was leaked to the other nations about my visions...it was just too risky!"

"But you couldn't let Shinobu be taken." Sensei said softly. Chihiro took a shaky breath.

"No. Maybe call this a bit of a wakeup call. I've...been trying to act on my visions, subtly. But now...now things are starting to get more serious, with more factors involved. I...I need help." I looked at her curiously. Chihiro rarely asked for help, and this was so serious. I would help in any way I could. Though, I was only six. I wasn't sure what I could do right now. Maybe just listen?

"Alright. You'll have that help Chihiro. How many people do you trust?"

"Everyone here...I guess if my parents were sworn to secrecy...Sakumo-sensei...probably Kushina-san too."

"And your visions, would you be willing to write them down? Kushina and I can set up a secured storage scroll that only a Seal Master can get into." Sensei offered. Chihiro considered, then nodded. Slowly, her eyes faded back to black.

"That...would be fine."

"Right now, do you have any suggestions on how to protect Shinobu-chan?" the otter masked agent asked. Chihiro thought for a while.

"People keep coming to help Shinobu against Danzo. He might try more subtly, a mission gone wrong, or using a different team. Or, he might bide his time. Being one of your genin, Sensei, I think helps. You're well known, among both shinobi and civilians,so once Danzo knows Shinobu's one of your students, it'll make it harder to get to her. Basically, the more...in sight Shinobu is, the more she's known around the village, the harder she'll be to disappear."

"I think we can manage that much." the boar masked ANBU said.

"You said something about seals on their tongues?" the crane masked ANBU asked. Chihiro nodded.

"Right. If you keep an eye out for them, that will help. Just...be careful. ROOT are easily ANBU level, if not higher do to Danzo's 'special' training." We could see her expression darken at those words, and a shudder passed through her body before she continued. "And since you're Shinobu's protectors, you're some of the few people she actually trusts. She'll need you."

"Fair. We will do our best then." the otter masked agent promised. "And now that we're in this together, I think proper introductions are in order. I'm Otter, captain. This is Crane, Boar, and Dog."

"You already know who were are though." I guessed. Dog nodded.

"We do." Shinobu suddenly paled, and turned to Sensei, rapidly tracing. Sensei's eyes narrowed.

"That's a good question. Otter-san, is it possible Shinobu's status is why Danzo is after her?"

"I don't know. Only the people who were in the meeting a few months ago know, along with Shikasho-sama."

"Sensei?" I asked. He frowned, clearly thinking.

"Chihiro, just how good was Danzo's spy network?"

"Very. As far as I know, they were able to infiltrate every single village without blowing their covers. I'd guess that they know almost everything that goes on."

"Except, every time Shinobu-chan's status has been discussed, it's been behind the highest security seals, and with even the Hokage's personal ANBU dismissed." Boar countered.

"Sensei, what...what exactly is Shinobu's status?" I asked.

"I can't tell you. Only she can." Sensei said firmly. Chihiro and I exchanged a confused look. But before we could do anything else, Sensei spoke again.

"For security, Chihiro, Kakashi, I want you to stay the next couple of nights at my house."

"I'll have to check with my parents."

"We can do that while you tell them about your visions. And if I'm not mistaken, you do need to inform them about your Sharingan activating. We can say it happened due to a particularly difficult training session." Chihiro looked a bit nervous.

"Ok."

"Tou-san is gone on a mission." I said. Sensei just nodded.

"We'll let him know when he gets back. Will you stay with them while I arrange a few things?" he asked the ANBU.

"Yes." Shinobu reluctantly left Sensei's embrace so he could stand, and retreated toward the ANBU.

"Thank you. Chihiro, this will probably take a while. Let's go." With a pop, Sensei and Chihiro were gone. I headed along the branch to sit next to Shinobu. We waited with the silent ANBU. We could hear many strange sounds around, and dozens of new scents overwhelmed my nose. It almost burned, and my nose twitched, as I nudged my scarf up higher. Just what was this place, that it smelled like death? Rustling and clicking sounded, much closer, and some sort of black creature came rushing toward us. I drew a kunai, but before I could throw, the creature exploded into pieces.

"What..."

"Giant centipede. Just one of the many nasty things you'll find in here. Dog noticed. Shinobu shuddered slightly, but controlled it within moments.

"And that's why traps here are useful." Boar added.

"Where are we?"

"Training Ground Forty-Four. It's also known as the Forest of Death. It's a very dangerous training ground, filled with poisonous plants and animals. Only a few actually come to train here, so it's a good hiding place if you're prepared." Crane explained. Ok, so if it was that dangerous, who would actually want to train here? Someone crazy, probably. Though I could technically see the super elite ninja training here, if they wanted a challenge. Huh. Finally, Sensei came back.

"Alright, Kakashi, your turn." I barely blinked as we appeared in front of the house. Dad had thought it a good idea to have Sensei place a Hiraishin seal on the house, but why, I had never understood. Now though, I suspected it was a precaution, either for situations like these, or some other horrible circumstances.

"Hurry please Kakashi. Grab enough for a few days." Sensei instructed. In addition to the basics, I also made sure I had a few books, and all of my mission gear. Who knew what would happen, at this rate? Once I had everything, Sensei teleported to his house where Chihiro was already seated at the dining table with paper and ink. I didn't see any marks though. She looked too tense to concentrate. Sensei teleported away again, but returned much sooner with Shinobu.

Sensei let out a long sigh, and collapsed on the couch. Shinobu curled up next to him, her head on his lap. After just a minute, Chihiro left the table to claim Sensei's other side. I opted for the floor between his legs, rather than balancing on top of the couch. We stayed that way for a while, then I looked up.

"Sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Now what?" Sensei sighed again. He sounded tired.

"Well, the house is safe. I activated all the seals, so no one's getting near us, without getting seriously hurt. I talked to Chihiro's parents, and they're going to let me put up a few security seals on their house. I'm just waiting."

"For what?" Sensei's head snapped up, a little more alert, and Shinobu's also head popped up, before she relaxed further. Chihiro blinked.

"For the team to arrive. Stay inside the house, and I'll be back." We scattered, almost like Sensei was shedding tiny ninjas. Which, I guess he was.

"Sensei, please be careful." Chihiro said. Sensei smiled.

"I'm a jōnin. I can take care of myself."

"But Sensei..." she protested. Sensei ruffled her hair.

"I also promise to be careful. Don't forget to write down what you remember. Start with ROOT, and Danzo for now." Chihiro nodded. "Shinobu, if you decide to tell them, its ok. But it is S-ranked. They can't tell anyone." Shinobu nodded.

"See you Sensei." I said. Sensei smiled, and with another pop, disappeared. I looked over at my teammates. Chihiro didn't look happy, staring at the spot where Sensei had disappeared. Shinobu didn't seem as scared, she had finally stopped shaking, but was very deep in thought. What about, I didn't know. I didn't know what to do. I sat back down, sighing. I still didn't fully understand everything that had happened tonight, but the idea that an elder, was actually some sort of head of a weird organization that was after Shinobu? Sure, Shinobu was very skilled, but so were Chihiro and I. And there were lots of other talented kids in the village. Even some of the Academy kids had showed some promise. Shinobu walked to Chihiro, tapping her shoulder. Chihiro looked up, having trouble focusing for a few moments.

"Yeah?"

_Do...do you want to be left alone?_

"I'll be writing for a while. There's a lot. But...I'm not doing so well." Chihiro answered, gesturing to the table. Shinobu flinched.

 _Because of me?_ Chihiro shook her head.

"No! It's not your fault, at all! It's all Danzo. The visions...he did so many horrible things, and to think that he'd do that sort of thing to my teammate, to my friend, is awful! But seeing you safe helps. So...if you don't mind, could you stay around?" I nodded. I'd stay too, I wasn't tired at all. Not with everything that had happened. Shinobu nodded, then moved to the kitchen. The large sack she had carried earlier was on the counter, and she worked to put groceries away as Chihiro finally sat, and started writing. I settles across from her, pulling out one of my books. Shinobu finished with the groceries, then sat at the tea table with her sealing supplies. Comfortable silence fell, broken only by the faint sounds of the girls' brushes across paper, and the rustling of pages of my book. I glanced up occasionally, seeing the stack of paper Chihiro was working on keep growing.

"Is this all stuff Danzo did?" I asked at one point, as she added another page to the towering stack. Chihiro glanced up.

"It's mostly what he did. There's a crazy amount of things. Plus with what ROOT carried out, but it's really all connected. And for now, I'm just putting down what I know for sure they did. What I suspect they could have done, now that's another story. That, I'm not writing down yet." Silence fell again, and I got a decent way through my book before anything else happened. Shinobu stood, stretched, and disappeared to her bedroom. When she returned, she had changed into her pajamas, and brought out something else. Chihiro stretched, yawned, and sat back.

"I think that's everything. Everything I can remember, at least." she muttered, going through her pile to double check her work. That didn't take as long, and she sat back with a sigh. I got up to see what Shinobu had been working on, then stopped warily when I saw the packets out on the table.

"Please, please don't use those glitter bombs on us." I begged. Even if Shinobu had taught us the trick to getting glitter off, I still hated dealing with it. Chihiro came over curiously, and also stopped a little warily. Shinobu looked up at us, and gave a tiny smile.

_I won't. But help me plant them around the market?_

"Are you aiming for civilians?" Chihiro asked. Shinobu nodded.

"I'm in."

"I'll help too." Now that I knew the glitter bombs wouldn't be used on us, I could actually enjoy the results. I heard a pop, and Sensei appeared. He saw the seal work in front of Shinobu, and only raised an eyebrow.

"Sensei!" Chihiro cried in relief. Sense smiled.

"You've been busy. Chihiro, your parents would like to remind you that they love you very much, and won't tell anyone."

Chihiro blinked rapidly, and I could see her eyes glistening.

"I-I'm glad. Thanks, Sensei." She took a shuddering breath and rubbed her eyes. Sensei smiled kindly, then leaned forward to meet her eyes.

"There's something else they wanted me to bring up with you. We all want you to know that we don't think any less of you by suggesting this. We want you to be happy and healthy, and with everything we've learned tonight, it's clear that you aren't entirely. Can you hear me out?" Chihiro's gaze flickered to the floor, and her scent turned slightly fearful, and...resigned? Still, she nodded before seeming to brace herself for whatever Sensei was about to say.

"We think you should consider talking to a therapist. Your parents mentioned that you've always had terrible nightmares, and now that we know that they were actually visions, and from what we know of the types of missions ROOT carries out, well...you've seen a great deal of traumatic things from a very young age, Chihiro. You've kept it secret all this time out of necessity, and we all understand why you had to do so, but now we know, and we're all here for you. Even so, none of us are trained in psychology, so we think you should see a professional."

"But I don't know who to trust! Sensei, I know so much, so many village secrets, you saw the reactions of the ANBU team! I...I'm taking enough of a chance with all of you! I don't want anyone to get hurt because of what I know!" Chihiro burst out, her eyes welling once again with tears. She dashed them away angrily. I felt a pang for my teammate. She had held all of this in for years, I couldn't even begin to imagine what this was like for her.

"Chihiro, all of that is why you need to talk to someone. Did you know Shinobu talks with my friend Inoichi?" Sensei asked.

"I...no, I didn't."

"Inoichi can accommodate your needs, and he's very patient. Since you're so worried about security, he might be willing to talk inside your head."

"A mind scan?"

"Yes. And Chihiro, I trust Inoichi with my life, and I would trust him with yours as well. I already have trusted him with Shinobu." Chihiro hesitated, then began muttering under her breath.

"From what I know of him, he's loyal to the village and his family. Same with Shikaku. But he's going to lead T&I soon, he needs to be ruthless for that. Then again, he has a soft spot for children..." She glanced around at us, and sighed. "I'll...think about it. I really, really don't want to tell anyone else, especially the future head of T&I, but I also know that I'm kinda...messed up from all this. So, I promise that I'll think about it, ok?"

"Good. We will help you Chihiro. Just let us know."

"I know Sensei. Thank you." Chihiro let out a long sigh, then gestured to the table. "I finished writing everything I could remember about Danzo and ROOT. I have suspicions on other things they could do, but nothing concrete."

"That's fine. I'll take care of that storage scroll now. Will you let Kakashi and Shinobu read your files tonight too?"

"Yeah. They should know everything." Chihiro sighed. We all settled around the couch again. Shinobu cleaned up her pranking seals, leaving room for Sensei to work on a secure storage scroll. Chihiro curled up on the couch, after passing Shinobu the stack of files. It didn't take too long for her to fall asleep. Shinobu started to read, then tapped me on the shoulder. I took the file she passed me, noting her frown. Curious, I started to read. Sensei finished the scroll, and read the files I finished with. I could smell his anger the more he read. I was so disgusted, now I really understood why Danzo was so awful. Chihiro had seen all this happen...no wonder she loathed him. Killing innocents for little to no reason, acting outside of the Hokage, kidnapping and brainwashing children, and forcing them to kill their best friend...it was one thing to hear her mention in vague terms that Danzo had committed atrocities, another to read fully what she had seen. And... hang on...

"Chihiro, he tries to approach me?" I asked, astonished as I read that portion of the notes again. Wait, why would Danzo risk coming after me, when tou-san was there for me? I was missing something. Then I remembered my teammate was asleep. I reached up, then hesitated. Chihiro had been through so much stress tonight, so many emotions, and she had managed to fall asleep. Did I really want to interrupt that, even if I still had questions? I sighed, let my hand drop, and continued reading. I finally reached the end of the notes. So much information, so much to take in. I felt Sensei's hand on my head.

"Come on Kakashi. Bedtime."

"Sensei, there's still..." I yawned, and Sensei chuckled.

"I know. But the girls are asleep, and you can barely keep your eyes open. We'll deal with everything later, when we can actually function." I yawned again, and just fell into the bed Sensei showed me to. Head still spinning, I dropped off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I am RuthieToothie, Stardust's Beta! I've been an unofficial beta/advisor to her stories for a while, and I am so excited that she's finally posting one of them here! I love her stories so much, I'm her #1 fan lol (yes Stardust, it's true, and no, I'm not taking it back). I'm so glad that I can beta for her, I hope that you guys enjoy this story as much as I do.  
> I sort of put together a Naruto timeline from some stuff I found on the Naruto wiki plus Reddit (because the cannon timeline makes no sense, curse you Kishimoto!) that both Stardust and I use for our Naruto stories, so if there's something that feels way out of place time-wise please let me know so I can edit the timeline I made!  
> I really look forward to helping with this story and interacting with you guys more. I hoe that everyone stays safe and healthy, and I'll see you next chapter!  
> With love,  
> RuthieToothie


	15. This Will Be the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More surprises in store. Must be Team 7's curse.

Shinobu Katsuki

I yawned as I woke up the next morning. I felt unusually warm, and blinked several times, before confirming by sight what my chakra sense had already told my still-sleepy brain. Chihiro was curled up tight next to me. Kakashi had ventured out of the guest room and was dozing, curled up at the end of the bed. Sensei was still sleeping, and Kushina was still out on a mission.

 **Are you doing ok, little one?** Matatabi asked.

_I think so._

**Good. I am always here for you.**

_Thank you._ I gently nudged Chihiro so that I could get out of bed. The Uchiha girl didn’t wake up, but Kakashi did as the bed jostled. Yet by that time, I was already heading to the kitchen. I started a pot of tea boiling, then began breakfast as Kakashi wandered out of the bedroom. Kushina had taught me quite a bit about cooking, and I enjoyed it. And the routine, after last night, was comforting.

“Shinobu? Are you…I don’t know, okay with everything?” Kakashi asked. I glanced over. Kakashi had started pulling dishes from the cabinets, staying quiet so he didn’t wake the others.

 _I’m…still scared. But…I trust my family._ We worked in silence for several minutes. I sensed Chihiro’s chakra jump awake, and sent a reassuring ping at my friend. Sensei woke up moments later, and appeared in the kitchen. I pointed to the teacups set out near the teapot, which was ready. Sensei nodded in thanks, and poured himself a cup.

“And what about Chihiro’s visions?” Kakashi asked finally. I thought about that one. For me at least…it didn’t seem too crazy.

_Ninjas can do so much. Why not visions too?_

“Yeah, but where…I mean, I know she said she had dreams, but…”

“It’s complicated to explain. But I think you guys deserve that much,” Chihiro said, coming into the kitchen and letting loose a massive yawn. By this time, I had finished preparing breakfast, and we sat down to eat. Chihiro slowly sipped at tea, thinking.

“The type A visions…remember I told you that they didn’t take certain people into account?”

“Yeah,” Kakashi responded. Chihiro sighed. I watched my friend carefully. Worried, resigned, anxious…what now?

“That’s…okay, so this is going to sound even crazier. But I…was reincarnated.” I froze, staring at Chihiro. Kakashi set down his chopsticks. Sensei froze, his own chopsticks halfway to his mouth in a position that would have made me giggle if it weren't for the serious conversation going on. 

“What?”

“Do you know which jutsu was used?” Sensei asked. Chihiro shook her head.

“It wasn’t a jutsu. No one is controlling me, or anything like that. It was…I guess you could call it natural. But I didn’t come from this world originally.” Once again, all three of us were completely caught off guard by the information Chihiro was giving us. We exchanged glances, and I could see Kakashi and Sensei resolving themselves to believe our teammate like we had promised we would, no matter how bizarre her story seemed. Kakashi voiced the thought that was running through our minds.

“If you weren't originally from our world, where did you come from?”

“Another world. That world was very different. There was amazing technology, different social structures, and incredible stories. One of those stories was of this world.”

“Hold on. So in your previous…life, all of us were just characters in a book?” Sensei asked. Chihiro nodded.

“Yes. Then later, those books were turned into moving pictures, so people could watch it.”

“So that’s….” Sensei mused.

“That’s how I know some things. That’s why the type A ‘visions’ don’t account for me. I wasn’t here originally.”

“What about others they don’t account for?” Kakashi asked. Chihiro hesitated again. I sensed her nervousness, and slight uncertainty. I would be nervous too, if everything wasn’t adding up.

“My best guess is that they reincarnated too. I think there’s a link, but I haven’t figured out all the puzzle pieces yet. But all of them were reincarnated from my previous world.”

“That’s…a lot to take in.” Sensei sighed. Chihiro grimaced.

“I know. I’m sorry, but I’m trying to…ease things? I don’t really know what to call it, but I need you to trust my source of type A visions. I need you to trust me.”

 _If we used to be characters in a book…you can only predict up to a point._ I signed slowly. Chihiro sighed.

“Right. Some things have already changed.”

“Hang on, what about your type B visions?” Kakashi asked. Chihiro shrugged helplessly.

“That, I don’t know. They consist of things that I never read about in the book series, or the watched in the moving pictures. Those visions include everyone, and take place in the past, present, and future. Though sometimes it’s difficult to tell which is which.”

“So it seems like you do have an actual prophetic gift, not just memories from another life.” Sensei mused.

“Right. But can you trust those visions too?” Chihiro asked. Kakashi nodded, as did I. Of course I would trust my friend. I had been saved once due to Chihiro’s gifts, and I had no doubt that Chihiro’s information would continue to help people. Chihiro looked at Sensei, and he nodded.

“Yes. On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“You talk to your team. I can see how some details are uncomfortable for your parents, but talk with us, at least about all your visions. I will trust you, but don’t be offended if I double check things occasionally.”

“I won’t be, and I promise.” Chihiro said. With that almost unbelievable conversation out of the way, we finished eating and started washing up. I did the dishes, while Kakashi dried, and Chihiro put them away. Sensei stood watching, another cup of tea in his hand. I thought about what Chihiro had said, and I was curious, but nervous. I took a breath.

 _Chihiro?_ I asked.

“Yeah?”

 _Who…who else isn’t included in your type A visions?_ I was almost scared of the answer, but at the same time, I needed to know.

“Well, remember the noble family? And Yuko-san, and Genkei-sama?” Chihiro asked. I nodded.

“They all felt familiar to me, and they acted very similarly to what I remembered.”

“But Yuko-san is an Uzumaki…” Sensei piped up. Chihiro shrugged.

“I’m an Uchiha. I didn’t have any control over where I would end up.”

“Oh.” I thought about this. Chihiro studied me, looking like she knew what I wanted to ask.

“They felt familiar, almost like a sense of deja vu. You do too.” Chihiro said, watching me very closely. I froze. That feeling…I felt the same thing with the noble family, with Genkei-sama, and Yuko-san, though less with Yuko-san. I felt that feeling with Chihiro. I had noticed that the first time I had seen Chihiro.

“Shinobu? What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked. Sensei at this point looked a little worried, no doubt due to the flurry of emotions I was feeling.

 _I…I felt that same sense. And I feel it with you, too._ I admitted, hands shaking slightly.

“So if your theory is right Chihiro, you knew Shinobu, Yuko-san, Daichi-sama, Umi-sama, Genkei-sama, and Sora-sama in your previous life?” Sensei asked.

 _Why… don’t I…_ I started. Kakashi looked and felt like he just didn’t know what to do, or think.

“Why don't you remember your previous life? I don’t know…Can I try something?” Chihiro asked. I nodded. Chihiro took a breath, then said something in another language, one that somehow, I understood perfectly.

“Sister from…”

 _Another mister,_ I replied automatically. Then I froze as I realized what I had said. How, how did I know that? What language was that? It was so familiar, it was associated with…a friend…Matatabi sat up in my head, a barely audible growl starting. Chihiro was watching me very closely.

“Do you remember?” She asked, switching back to Japanese. I thought, and thought. Why, why was everything with Chihiro so familiar? And that phrase, I knew that phrase. Finally, some small memory clicked.

 _I…Ruthanne. That…was…._ Chihiro grinned.

“Hey, Becca.” I took several deep breaths to stay calm. It wasn't working. Matatabi started to purr reassuringly as I collapsed into a ball on the floor. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to concentrate fully on Matatabi's purrs. She also started licking me. I knew Chihiro, knew her so well, and now the deja vu made sense. I just...my mind felt like it would explode!

 **"I can help with that little one. Let me help sort your memories."** I only nodded, and Matatabi let a bit of her chakra flow through my coils. Slowly, glistening stones started piling up.

 **"I don't want to do much more, until we have a way to organize everything. Do you have any ideas?"** I considered a couple; origami shapes, color coding the stones Matatabi had created, maybe a garden? But...I liked the idea of origami. Animal shapes for each person made sense. I took the memories, Matatabi helping again. A dog, for Kakashi. A fox for Kushina, which had Matatabi snorting in laughter. Any memories made with Kurama specifically, were a red color. Chihiro, got a lion. Sensei, a frog.

 **"That's probably enough. Your friends are worried, and I can handle the rest. You can change the shapes later if you want."** I took a breath and nodded. Matatabi gave me a final lick, then sent me back. The first signature I sensed, was Sensei's crouched in front of me. Chihiro and Kakashi a bit of a distance behind him. I was still on the floor in the kitchen.

"Shinobu? Are you alright?" I took a breath, and nodded.

_My head hurts. Too many shocks. Matatabi is helping sort memories._

"Good."

"Shinobu, I'm sorry, I know it's a lot." Chihiro said. I looked up at her, to see her looking worried, but determined. She came closer and sat. “It’s okay. I’ll always be here, promise. That’ll be my ninja way, I’ll always be there for my friends and family.” Sensei stood, but returned moments later with a small stack of origami paper. I took it gratefully and started folding. Kakashi sat on Sensei's other side. I finished with a dog shape, and shyly gave it to Kakashi. A smile formed on his face. I paused before making the next shape.

 _But why don’t….I don’t have memories like you, just the deja vu._ I asked. Tiny fragments of various things started to flash by in my mind, mostly just vague impressions, but they were about Chihiro’s previous incarnation. The feeling of love and support was still there. Matatabi paced, but continued to sort through my memories. My headache slowly fading as she did so. Kakashi and Sensei looked confused and worried, but Sensei felt much more worried. Still, neither of them had said anything yet.

“I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out, okay? Like we always do.” Chihiro told me. I nodded, remembering vaguely long talks we used to have when facing an issue together.

_Thanks. What…what about the others?_

“That’s a little more complicated. Do you remember the song that you wrote?” I hesitated, then shook my head. I had written songs? Granted, I loved music and hummed along with Kushina or when I was alone. Little bits of melodies that came into my head. But…still…I just couldn't remember.

“You wrote stories, fantastic stories. You wrote a novel series, and I helped. There were these three main characters, all royalty. A princess who was a healer, her older brother, a warrior, and her older sister, twin to the brother, who kept a lot of secrets, but always respected life.” I thought about it, trying so hard to remember. More vague impressions came, slightly clearer.

 _I…_

“Genkei-sama was another one of your characters, in a relationship with the twin sister. I’d tease you about it, you always got frustrated.” Chihiro's tone was just so patient, and I was grateful. 

_Why?_

“Because technically, you never wrote them together. But I always wanted them to get together. Same with other people in our previous life. Now, considering everything, it seems like the universe agreed with me.” I shook my head, but couldn’t help smiling a little. Now that Chihiro had explained things, it all sounded so familiar, and felt familiar.

 _Yuko-san?_ I asked.

“One of mine. She was training to be a warrior at a school, but someone from her past was hunting her.”

 _Oh._ That vaguely sounded familiar. But that was it, just vague impressions. I just…couldn’t remember anything more than that, and it was so frustrating. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, then felt a hand on my shoulder. Chihiro. I looked up, and she squeezed my shoulder comfortingly.

“I am so confused,” Kakashi burst out. Chihiro glanced at me, all joking gone. I nodded. Chihiro understood things much better than I did, especially with my vague and fragmented memories.

“Shinobu is the reincarnation of my best friend from my previous life. We met in school, and just…stayed best friends. We were practically sisters.” Considering everything else that had just been revealed, Sensei and Kakashi seemed to take this in stride.

“Why did you remember, and not Shinobu?” Sensei asked. Chihiro shrugged.

“I have no clue. My guess is that since Shinobu’s remembering more already, all her memories will come back eventually. I think I sort of triggered things.” I thought about it, then nodded. It made sense. I just hoped the memories wouldn’t be too much for me to handle. But, I also knew Matatabi would help.

“And so the others are other friends?” Kakashi asked.

“Not quite. Both Shinobu and I were writers. We compared notes on stories we wrote, and helped each other out. Yuko-san is a character from one of my stories, while Genkei-sama, Sora-sama, Daichi-sama, and Umi-sama are all characters from one of Shinobu’s stories,” Chihiro explained.

“And the language?” Kakashi asked.

“Was the one we spoke during our previous life. Shinobu actually knew more languages than me, so she might remember in time." Sensei regarded us all, no doubt reading our chakra as well. Then he nodded.

“Something to think about. Now-"

"Wait. I want to know something else Sensei." Kakashi hesitated, then looked at me. "Shinobu...what was the thing that only you could talk about?" I winced. 

_Do...do you know what a Tailed Beast is?_ Chihiro's eyes widened, and I felt her chakra flickering in concern. But...I think I could trust her to be ok with me. Kakashi meanwhile, frowned and shook his head.

"They're massive creatures, pretty made up of only chakra. A lot of people are afraid of them, and there's...nine." Chihiro hesitated on the last couple of words, but then continued on. "Humans, knowns as jinchūriki, are hosts for them." 

"A...a human sacrifice?" Kakashi asked, eyes wide.

"You know how I said people fear them? Some people, who want power, fear the amount of chakra Tailed Beasts hold. But, they also want to control that power. So, they found a way to seal the Tailed Beasts inside of people." Chihiro said, a note of bitterness in her voice.

"Most people fear jinchūriki, and treat them horribly as such. They. don't know that the Tailed Beasts have minds, and souls. That they can think. They do have the capacity for massive amounts of destruction, but also incredible kindness. The Nibi, Matatabi-san, was Shinobu's first friend." Sensei explained further. 

"Is that why-" 

_No. Very few people know. I...I think even Danzo doesn't know._ I signed.

"Good. That's very good." Chihiro mused.

"Well, I don't care what or who you hold. You're my friend." Kakashi said firmly.

"Same. But I already knew jinchūriki weren't monsters or anything like that." Chihiro added with a grin. Sensei looked at the other two.

"Remember, Shinobu's status as a jinchūriki is a S-ranked secret. You can't breathe a word of this to anyone. Now, no missions or training today. We’ve had too much information today, and last night, and we need to recover. Tomorrow though, I promise we’ll go on a mission, get out of the village. Today, we do something fun.” Fun, turned out to be a lot of different things. Sensei encouraged us to bring fun things we liked to do, and he put the resulting books, origami paper, and art supplies in a basket, then added a blanket. After that, we headed to the market, where we bought lots of snacks we all enjoyed, and a couple of things to either add or replace for our ninja gear.

Finally, Sensei led us to a quiet park, and spread the blanket out near a grove of trees. We played tag, using our ninja speed, and other tricks, though we were all very careful to keep it within the park, and where Sensei could see. I taught my team a few basic origami designs, and got to draw. We did read a lot, stretching out in the sun on the blanket. We discussed everything a few times, checking in mostly. The shock wore off rather quickly, so at this point, it was just processing everything. I didn’t remember any more fragments, but at this point, I probably just had to be patient, as frustrating as that was. Dinner saw all of us talking even more, though Kakashi and Sensei asked fascinated questions about the previous world. Chihiro did most of the talking, focusing mostly on how everything had been structured. Most of it sounded vaguely familiar to me, which made sense. Matatabi had talked to me periodically throughout the day, checking to make sure I was okay, and continuing to help sort through the memories I had so far. That night, we organized them further. A new tree had appeared on the grassland, absolutely huge. It was hollow inside, and along the sides, shelves had been carved. There, all my memories were now stored. People from the same clan went together, and my memories from my previous life had a section all by themselves. I felt better, now that I had an organization system.

The next morning, we headed to the mission desk, and received a new C-rank mission. Message running, that thankfully did have us out of the village. It took us well over a week to get all the messages delivered. It was kind of fun to run so much, and we only had to contend with a few bandits. The bandits never knew what hit them. Then, finally, it was back to the village, only to almost immediately go on another mission. Sensei seemed pretty determined to have us get more experience, which was fine by all of us. Over the following weeks, we continued to go on more C-ranks in between training. None of them were quite as exciting as the mission that had turned into a B-rank, with the exception of a border patrol that got turned into another B-rank. Iwa-nin were really getting annoying. From snippets we heard from going in and out of the mission desk, a lot of shinobi were worried about what Iwa’s confrontations might mean. With everything, it seemed like no time until Chihiro’s birthday rolled around. She received a kodachi from Sakumo, a sword care kit from Kakashi, and medical ninjutsu scrolls from Sensei. Chihiro had gotten really good in our medical lessons, and was often the first to master a technique. Kushina had gotten the Uchiha girl a new shuriken pouch, and I gave my friend coupons for Ichiraku Ramen. At training the next day, we all got a surprise.

“The Chunin Exams?” Chihiro asked. Sensei shrugged.

“I think you’re ready. I’ve talked with your parents, and they think you are too. In fact, Sakumo asked me what took so long. I would have done sooner, but timing didn’t work out. It is up for all of you to decide as well.”

“I’ll do it.” Kakashi said eagerly.

“Me too!” Chihiro added. I thought about it, then nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to try. A phrase floated to my mind; 'Do or do not. There is no try.' I staved off a series of giggles as I remembered where the phrase had come from. I had been such a geek. I still was. Matatabi laughed, but carefully folded up the memory to store with the few others that had come back.

“Alright then. Here’s the paperwork. They start in a couple of days, and no, I won’t tell you much. Just that there’s multiple stages, and all of them are meant for those who are ready to be chunin. It is an international exam, so I’m going to find out which villages are participating. I’ll be back.” With that, Sensei disappeared. I sensed the growing excitement in Chihiro, and wasn’t surprised to see a huge grin on my friend’s face. Kakashi frowned.

“Chihiro? Why are you so excited? I’m excited about the exams too, but still. It's almost like when you fangirl over tou-san.” Chihiro rolled her eyes, and snorted.

“Like I would fangirl over the exams. They’re still going to be dangerous and difficult!”

“What gives then?” Chihiro grinned.

“I know what we’ll be facing.”

“Seriously?” Kakashi asked, suddenly looking and feeling eager. I smiled. Any advantage would be a good one, from what Sensei had said, and the rumor mill around town.

“Type A. I’ll tell you what I can remember, but I’ll guess that each exam is always a little different. And I haven’t had any other visions yet. I’ll let you know if that changes. Anyway, the basis is still the same, and they usually have the same goals.” Chihiro explained, shrugging. Kakashi rolled his eyes impatiently.

“So tell us!”

“Okay, okay! So the first exam is usually some sort of written exam. Really hard questions, stuff genin would never know. We’ve probably got enough experience and intelligence to figure stuff out. But there might be some questions that are too tricky. So we’re actually encouraged to cheat.” Both Kakashi and I blinked, and looked at the Uchiha girl incredulously.

“What?”

“I know, it sounds crazy. And we’ll probably be told that if we’re caught cheating, we’re disqualified. So to get information, we have to cheat so that we’re not noticed.”

“So…we’re using our resources to gain information covertly?” Kakashi realized slowly. Chihiro grinned.

“Exactly.”

 _You’ve activated your Sharingan._ I mused. I had seen Chihiro experimenting with her Sharingan several times over the past couple of weeks. Chihiro had been able to evolve her Sharingan, and practices had gotten a lot trickier as she figured out, and no doubt remembered, more abilities.

“Yep. And we can all do a few jutsus without hand seals. That might be important, because I think there’s mirrors on the ceiling that we might be able to manipulate.” Chihiro smiled again.

“So between what we already know, and a few tricks, we should be fine.” Kakashi finished.

“Right. Then, we’ll be asked another question. It’ll basically test if we trust ourselves, and our teammates.”

 _That’s no problem._ I said. I trusted my family completely. Kakashi nodded.

“So what’s next?”

“The second test is a five day survival test. We’ll be in the Forest of Death, and heading for a tower in the center. We’ll be given scrolls, and told not to open them until we reach the tower. We’ll also be expected to get another scroll, because each scroll is one half of a pair.”

“So we survive, and have to find another scroll, and get to the center.” Kakashi summarized.

“Yep.”

“Do you think…” Kakashi asked, hesitating. Chihiro shook her head.

“No. No one should know we’ve been inside.”

“Got it. So apart from testing our ability to survive outside the village, and the ability to transport things, is there anything else being tested?” Chihiro hesitated, thinking.

“I don’t know. Chunin are expected to be leaders, that they can lead genin, or handle their own missions. That does require maturity, understanding situations, adaptability, that sort of thing.”

 _What’s next?_ I asked.

“Third round is combat. We’ll be matched up against someone else. We could even get matched up against each other. That’s really all it is. At the end of the exams, there’ll be an announcement saying who got promoted to chunin.”

“And the fact that there’ll be other villages?” Kakashi asked. Chihiro grimaced.

“I don’t know. The exams that I know about are type A, and far in the future. It was an international exam, but even without knowing the villages involved, I know this is going to be very, very different.”

“Okay then. So how all can we prepare?”

“We have a couple days. I’d suggest training as much as possible. See if we can’t perfect a few more techniques. And then…we all know how to use storage scrolls. Let’s use that to our advantage. Pack equipment, food, extra weapons, medical supplies.” That all made sense. We would be incredibly prepared for this.

“Any more strategies to think about?” Chihiro thought for a few moments.

“Well, depending on how many teams make it through the second round, there’ll be preliminaries for round three. And we have to consider our strengths, and weaknesses.”

“A five day survival test in an area we don’t know much about, but we do know it’ll be dangerous. We’re okay with endurance, but mostly we’re all fast.” Kakashi mused. I nodded. Best to get the test done, than to stay out longer than we needed to.

“So we get the test done as soon as possible. Sounds good.” Chihiro said cheerfully. All of us shared a smile. Of course, it was that moment that Sensei returned with a pop.

“And what exactly are you three plotting?”

“Discussing the exams.” Kakashi said casually. Sensei studied all of us.

“Chihiro, have you had visions on these?”

“Type A, but those circumstances were pretty different, and I’d guess every exam is a little different to surprise those who have to take it more than once.” Sensei laughed.

“I should have known. So then, do you have strategies all worked out?”

“Basics, but with so many unknowns, some of it will have to be adjusting to what we encounter. Probably need to discuss a few more things too.” Kakashi responded.

“Alright then. I think you’ll get through the exams just fine then. I found out who else is participating, and we might have an issue.”

 _Which villages are coming?_ I asked, sensing Sensei’s slight worry.

“Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Amegakure. I’m a bit nervous with it being an international exam, but with you three specifically, I’m worried about Kumo.” I looked down. I knew why Sensei was worried. This would be especially dangerous for me, if anyone from Kumo somehow recognized me, or Matatabi.

 **I’ll be suppressing my chakra. I agree with your sensei’s overprotective tendencies this time, and I like you. I’d rather that you didn’t go through what your father had to.** Matatabi reassured me. I winced slightly, before her words registered fully.

_My father was your previous host?_

**He was. He wasn't nearly as annoying as other hosts. We talked sometimes. I'll tell you more tonight, if you'd like.**

_Please. I promise I’ll be careful. Thank you._ I turned her attention back to my friends.

“Why?” I heard Kakashi ask.

“Kumo’s known for hunting for power. They usually do so through kidnapping shinobi from other villages. Remember, they were the ones to kidnap Kushina not too long ago. Personally, I think you’re all extremely talented, and they might be interested in you.”

“Sensei, the Chunin Exams are a chance to show off. Wouldn’t Kumo be after a lot of candidates?” Chihiro asked. Sensei shrugged.

“They could be. I’m just saying to be careful.”

“Yes Sensei.” Sensei set us on a few exercises for genjutsus, but pulled me aside.

“Shinobu, you be extra careful, and stay extremely close to Chihiro and Kakashi.” He said, very seriously.

 _I will, Sensei. I…I know that this is dangerous for me._ Sensei smiled, and ruffled my hair. The morning continued with our genjutsu lessons, before lunch. Sensei disappeared again, then returned before our scheduled kenjutsu lesson, smiling more widely than usual.

“Sensei? Why are you smiling?” Kakashi asked.

“What, I’m always frowning?”

“No, but you look more excited than usual.” Chihiro added. I wondered if Sensei had a surprise for us. I remembered a similar expression on Sensei’s face before my birthday.

“Well, I have some things that might help you out. Sakumo should be here shortly.” Sensei produced a few scrolls, and we eagerly looked through them.

“Extra explosives and weapons?” Kakashi asked eagerly. I smiled. That could make things easier, or more interesting.

 **Probably both.** **You are teammates with an Uchiha. And one of your guardians is an Uzumaki. It's amusing how much she's rubbed off on you.** Matatabi added wryly.

“Including a weapons scroll. You know how to release individual seals, right?”

“Of course we do.” Chihiro said, rolling her eyes. Kakashi poked her, and she glared at him. Sensei whistled, and the two stopped before anything else happened.

“Just checking. And you have survival kits, and medical kits?”

“Yes Sensei.” Kakashi told Sensei. Sakumo-sensei appeared, grinning, with yet more things.

“Sorry I’m late! We’ll get to your lessons in a moment. I have things that might help. Took a while to figure things out, but they should help. Oh, and Minato? Don’t coddle them so much!”

“I’ll try not to.” Sakumo-sensei turned first to Kakashi with a box. Kakashi opened it, and withdrew a…I wasn’t sure what it was, except it was dark blue fabric. Kakashi also seemed confused.

“Tou-san?”

“Your nose is getting more and more keen. You’ll be overwhelmed with all the new scents. This should help filter things through.” Sakumo-sensei also whispered something that I couldn’t catch, but whatever he said, it made Kakashi’s chakra bounce a bit in embarrassment and relief. He slipped the fabric over his head, then pulled it up. I blinked, realizing what it was. The mask covered Kakashi’s entire lower face, covering his nose, leaving only his eyes showing. That…looked vaguely familiar. Next to me, Chihiro froze. I nudged her gently, and she shook her head, refocusing.

 _You okay?_ I checked. Chihiro sighed, and nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Chihiro-chan, your gift comes in the form of yet more weaponry, because apparently, you can never get enough. I know you already have the kodachi, but I know you're fairly versatile. A small tanto will do well in your offhand if you choose to use it that way, and surprise any opponents when you get inside their guard.” Sakumo-sensei said, handing a sheathed tanto to Chihiro. She unsheathed it, seeing the metal gleam. The Uchiha girl grinned fiercely.

“Thank you.” Sakumo-sensei then turned to me, holding out another small box.

“Shinobu-chan, this is something I’ve been working on for a while now. Both Minato and Kushina helped, along with a few friends.” I was very curious by now, and opened the box. Inside, sat a folded piece of fabric. I took it out, still curious. This looked different from Kakashi’s gift, but…sort of similar. And…there was just the faintest tingle, like there was some sort of jutsu placed on it.

 _A mask? It’s not like Kakashi’s…_ I said a little hesitantly.

“No.” Sakumo-sensei agreed. “This one, is for your eyes. Try it on.” I did as I was told, making slight adjustments until it felt comfortable, then opened my eyes. Aside from the slight pressure of the cloth on my face, it was like I didn’t have the mask on. I could see my teammates, Sakumo-sensei, Sensei, and the familiar landscape of Training Ground Three.

 _I…can still see._ I said, wondering how that was possible. From the outside, it had looked like usual cloth, except for that faint trace of jutsu.

“Use of seals, written and in this case, stitched in. They’re very strong, but will occasionally need to be renewed.” Sakumo-sensei explained.

“I’ll teach you how to do that, but you won’t need to worry about it for a while.” Sensei added. That explained it then. I could sense the aftereffects of the seals. I knew enough fuinjutsu to know they'd fade by the end of the day.

“That’s brilliant! Shinobu, now you won’t have to worry about weird looks!” Chihiro said, grinning.

“The mask hides a bit of your birthmarks, but this should help considerably.” Kakashi added, pleased. I gave my teammates a small smile. They knew how much trouble I had been having, and they were happy I could finally relax, just a little. At the same time, I was happy for them, and their ability to perform better. Kakashi’s sense of smell had helped in recent missions, but there had been a couple of occasions where extremely strong smells had really made it difficult for him to even function.

“You have a few other advantages. Most people will expect that you’re blind, figure it was some sort of training accident or mission accident. They’ll think you’re an easy target. You’ll be able to get the jump on them.” Sakumo-sensei added. I nodded.

_Thank you, so much._

“Now that your presents have been handed out, let’s get to your lessons for the day!” Sakumo-sensei said cheerfully, holding up a bokken. We all smiled, and drawing our own bokkens, settled into ready stances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stardust: Sorry for the multiple updates of this chapter! I keep remembering things I need to add. Also, thank you for waiting for the next chapters. Hopefully the next one won't take quite as long, but no guarantee. 
> 
> RuthieToothie: Hey guys! RuthieToothie here. When Stardust told me about this fic idea, I felt so honored that she wanted to write a character (loosely) based on me! I love the friendship between Chihiro and Shinobu because it's modeled after the friendship between Stardust and me (although Shinobu is a LOT shyer than Stardust is!). Stardust consulted with me often about a lot of the decisions Chihiro makes to make sure it's true to her character. (Sorry Shinobu and Kakashi, but Chihiro is still my favorite character! Is that narcissistic of me? Eh, who cares!). By now, both Shinobu and Chihiro are very different than Stardust and I are in real life, but their friendship and love for each other is just as strong as ours is for each other. Love you Stardust!


	16. Chapter 15: Mirror, Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First two stages. Chihiro's thrown for a loop.

Three days later saw the three of us standing in front of the administration center, finished paperwork in hand.

“Right. Ready?” Chihiro asked, some nerves in her voice. Even though she had her visions, and had told us everything she could, it made sense that she was still nervous. The exams were a big deal. I nodded.

“Be prepared for any and all tricks. And let’s not draw attention to ourselves,” Kakashi said. I looked down.

 _We have gotten more stares,_ I signed hesitantly. Chihiro gave me a one armed embrace, drawing Kakashi close as well.

“Yeah, but people are still getting used to the new looks we all got. And the foreigners won’t really know about that. Now come on.” I couldn’t help but give a small smile. And with that, I stepped through the doors with my friends. We climbed the stairs to the examination room. We had been told that the exam took place on the third floor. But I sensed a bunch of signatures on the second floor. Why were people gathering on the second? As we reached the second floor landing, the reason became clear.

 **A genjutsu? Surely they don’t mean to fool people with something that basic,** Matatabi scoffed.

 _I don’t know about that. My team can sense it, but I sense many others who are confused,_ I mused, sensing the slower moving chakra of those caught in the genjutsu. Matatabi sighed. I glanced at Kakashi and Chihiro. Kakashi looked slightly scornfully over at the group, and Chihiro shrugged. We weren’t affected at all. Sensei had trained us pretty well, and with Chihiro and I being chakra sensors…well, it wouldn’t be easy to fool us. I had the added advantage of Matatabi keeping an eye on me.

We started up the stairs to the third floor, and I saw several people looking our way. I did my best to ignore them, and stayed with my teammates. Though I did have to smile when a few of the chakra signatures jumped, and freed themselves from the genjutsu. Those signatures followed us up the stairs. We reached the hall before the exam room, handed our paperwork in, and got told to wait. Then we entered the next room, where lots of genin were waiting, very noisily. Lots of conversations, too many people. Some chunin were present, keeping an eye on everything. I also sensed a bit of genjutsu, though that wasn’t around the entire room. Hmm. Maybe the proctors were already watching, but didn’t want anyone else to see? I tracked the genjutsu, and sure enough, a jōnin was waiting towards the center of the room, watching everyone carefully. Chihiro saw the man too, then shrugged, and discreetly pointed to a corner that was a bit emptier. I sighed in relief when we reached it. It didn’t help much, but with my hatred of crowds, I’d take what I could get. We stood, watching as more genin came into the room. So many people. Mostly Konoha, but there were a lot of people from Suna, Kumo, and Ame. One team, Suna from their forehead protectors, glanced over, and scoffed.

“What’s this? A group of kids? Don’t you think you’re a bit young for all of this? This exam is for real ninjas, not some tiny twerps playing dress up.” Another team bumped into them, and their ire was turned elsewhere. Chihiro pulled Kakashi and I to a slightly different spot as I pulled my chakra in more.

 _We…we’re the youngest here._ I signed, looking at the much older, and taller genin.

“So what? We’ve trained, and Sensei thinks we’re ready. It doesn’t matter what others think,” Kakashi said. Finally, the jōnin I had noticed earlier dropped the genjutsu, and several other ninjas appeared.

“Everyone, quiet down! This is a test, not a social gathering! If you came here for a gathering, you’re in the wrong place, so leave now,” He shouted over the noise. The room fell silent almost instantly, and the jōnin looked over the room. Meekly, everyone faced the jōnin to listen.

“Now that everyone is actually paying attention…this is the first phase of the Chunin Exams. Throughout all of the exams, you are not allowed to actually kill each other. This first part will be a scavenger hunt. Everyone will receive a scroll. You are scored together, with your teammates. So if one teammate fails, you all fail. You have one hour, and you will be watched. The chunin here will be watching to see if you cheat, and they’ve been picked for their good vision. They catch you five times, you’re out, and so is your team. Come get your scroll. No looking before we begin. When everyone has one, we’ll begin.” Kakashi took the scroll from the chunin, and we looked at it. It was a small scroll, tied with a green ribbon. Kakashi growled and glared at Chihiro. She shrugged.

“I said it might be different. Base idea is the same.” I listened to the room around us. A few people were whispering, speculating. A couple of teams already plotting strategy. No one had said that we couldn’t attack other teams. That would make things interesting. And…a few people had already opened the scrolls. Rude. Apparently that counted as a cheat, because I saw a few chunin making notes already.

“Everyone have a scroll? Good! Begin!” With a look, Chihiro, Kakashi and I Shunshined out of the room and down to the street below. In an isolated corner, Kakashi opened the scroll.

“Sand cannot give life all on its own, it stores the rain and repays the land with clay,” Chihiro read aloud, though she did keep her voice down.

“The heck? We have to solve riddles?” Kakashi grumbled. Chihiro shrugged.

“Like I said earlier. Type A. We’re still getting tested on our information gathering, just in a different way.”

“Ok, fine.”

 _I think it has something to do with Suna,_ I mused. Kakashi studied me, then nodded.

“Makes sense. But does that mean we have to track down the other teams?”

“Could be where they’re staying,” Chihiro offered.

_Checking their inn will be faster._

“And if the next clue or whatever isn’t there, we start tracking the teams. Let’s go,” Kakashi said. It took a bit of asking around to find the inn, but we did find it. I stayed outside, keeping a watch out while Kakashi and Chihiro stepped inside. A couple minutes later, they came out, Chihiro grinning. In her hand, was a box wrapped in a green ribbon.

“Found it! There’s a few other packages just on the front desk. The person at the desk said they were for the exams when we asked.” Again, we headed to a slightly more protected spot to open it. Inside the box was another scroll with green ribbon around it. Chihiro opened it, and read softly aloud.

“Rain falls into rivers and flows into a lake, to sustain the living that pierce the upmost soil.”

 _The Ame group’s inn?_ I asked. Kakashi shrugged.

“Worth a shot.” We asked around again, finding the inn not too far from the Suna inn. The Kumo inn was in the same area, roughly. Made sense to have all of the foreigners together. We could keep a better eye on them that way. Yet when we stepped into the Ame inn, there were no packages, or scrolls.

“Nothing. Any other ideas?” Chihiro asked. Kakashi looked at me.

“Shinobu, did you get a glimpse of the Ame teams’ signatures?” I shook my head.

“Well, I think there were around three teams or so. Split up to look?” Chihiro asked.

“Except, no one forbid the teams from going after each other. Just that we couldn’t kill each other.” Just as Kakashi finished, I sensed three rapidly approaching signatures.

 _Three, coming down the street._ It turned out to be a Suna team, and they looked very irritated.

“What do you think you’re doing, sabotage? Get away from our inn!”

“Hey, it’s in our village! You know how much trouble we’d be in if we damaged places in the village?” Chihiro snapped.

“Besides, we’re not really near ‘your’ inn!” Kakashi added indignantly.

“Tree huggers, so concerned about others. How do we know that you’re not lying?” One of the boys sneered.

“Forget talking! Just get them!” A glance at my teammates, and we all knew that we weren’t going to break out any major techniques. The lone kunoichi sped straight for me, probably anticipating an easy victory. She was leaving herself wide open, and moved much slower than I was used to. I sidestepped, bringing up a kunai to deflect a wild strike. Off balance now, the kunoichi stumbled and I struck out at her head. Yet her reflexes were better than she had first shown, and she dodged out of the way. I felt a genjutsu brush against my senses, and tossed it aside. My teammates were locked in a furious taijutsu and kunai battle with the Suna boys. Though, I did glimpse Chihiro trailing ninja wire. Then, my full attention was back on my opponent. I dodged out of the way of another strike, and retaliated with several punches and kicks. Then jumped out of the way of a leg sweep, and backed up as another genjutsu hit me. Didn’t have much effect, but it was annoying. Time to do something about it. I dodged out of the way of another strike, and threw shuriken and senbon, forcing my opponent to dodge and back away. Then a Shunshin to get behind her, and a hard jab to the temple, my fist reinforced by chakra. She dropped like a stone. I turned around and threw a kunai, deflecting one that had been aimed toward Chihiro. Kakashi retaliated with a hand sparking with lightning, hitting the older boy in the stomach. The boy collapsed, wheezing and spasming. Chihiro had finished tying her opponent with ninja wire, and kindly knocked the boy out. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

“Did you have to play with him?”

“He was asking for it!”

 _They won’t cause any more harm. Do we take their scrolls?_ I asked. We all shared a glance, and Chihiro shrugged.

“Theirs will either help us, or be bad information.”

“It won’t hurt to look.” Kakashi agreed. He searched for the scroll, found it, and opened it.

“'Rain flows throughout the land, reaching to all corners of the continent.' It’s the only scroll they have.”

“All corners…doesn’t Ame have some sort of merchant section in the market? I think we get some of the freshwater fish imports from them,” Chihiro mused.

 _Let’s be more sneaky? Don’t want another ambush if we can help it._ I suggested.

“Deal,” Kakashi agreed. Chihiro and Kakashi let me take the lead this time, and we used back alleys and a few shortcuts to get to the market. The entire time, I stayed as aware of my surroundings as I could get.

“See anything?” Kakashi asked.

“Ame merchants. They’ve got a little sign, see?” Chihiro asked, pointing. Sure enough, the same symbol on the Ame genins’ hitai-ate was on a banner above some stalls. Chihiro grinned, and stood.

“So, we go up and browse.” She led the way to the stalls, pacing along them. We saw food, weapons, trinkets, tools, clothes, all sorts of things. Chihiro paused at a stall with hunting equipment, and studied the set of knives. The merchant, an elderly man, watched patiently, and Chihiro nodded, pushing it towards him. He smiled.

“A wise choice, young one.” “Thank you sir. How much?” The merchant named the price, and Chihiro handed the ryo over.

“Ah, it’s so good to see young people like you being responsible. Seedlings grow and reach up to the sky, and become the upper boughs of one great tree.” My eyes widened, and darted down to the man’s chest. I had spotted the flash of green before, but now, I realized it was a large, green charm dangling from the necklace. I bowed deeply to the merchant. Kakashi and Chihiro followed suit a moment later.

“Thank you very much.” The man cackled.

“And so polite! Off with you lot!”

“Well. That was unexpected,” Kakashi said.

“Yes, but we have a clue. Any ideas?” Chihiro asked.

 _Something to do with Konoha._ I mused.

“Ok, so, going with the tree analogy, it’s kind of obvious we’re the seedlings. We’re genin. But we grow, and that’s probably rising up the ranks,” Chihiro agreed.

“To chunin. And then…” The thought passed through us, and we raced off to the jōnin standby station. We hung around there occasionally, ever since Sensei had hinted that was the best way to stay on top of news, and to never underestimate the jōnin gossip game. We did stay back a little, watching the area. Another team passed through, Ame from their hitai-ates. We waited until they passed, then headed inside. Nothing, but I did sense a little something.

_Chihiro, do you sense anything?_

“No, do you?”

_Maybe._

“Any idea where?” I shook my head.

“That’s okay,” Chihiro’s eyes turned red, as she looked around. “No jutsu in here, at least not recently.”

“What about up?” Kakashi asked. Chihiro looked up, and grinned.

“Nice one, Kakashi. There’s not anything on the ceiling, but I think there might be something on the roof. Come on.” A familiar genjutsu covered the roof, and was easy enough to dispel. Once taken down, close to half a dozen scrolls lay there. Kakashi grabbed the one with green ribbon wrapped around it, and Chihiro replaced the genjutsu. We hopped down, and Kakashi opened the scroll.

“When lightning strikes it needs a place to rest, lest it alight upon the boughs below.” I frowned. That was more confusing.

“Well it has something to do with Konoha jōnin. And the lightning, this has something to do with Kumo.”

“Okay, but what?”

 _We’ve got about twenty minutes left,_ I pointed out.

“Crap,” Chihiro groaned. “Ok. Maybe it’s about resting. Everyone needs to rest between missions. And then, if it’s about jonin, it’s specifically for a place where jonin like to rest?”

“There’s a lot of bars, lounges, and cafes for jonin all around the village,” Kakashi argued, crossing his arms. Chihiro shook her head.

“Not bars. All of the genin are too young. And we’d never be allowed in a lounge.”

_So a cafe with outdoor seating. But caters only to jonin. That narrows it down._

“But not enough,” Kakashi groaned. Chihiro shrugged.

“So we ask. There’s going to be a general favorite place. And we’re in the perfect spot to ask.” Just a few minutes later, we found a jōnin who wasn’t too busy. He grinned.

“Well, there’s always the Rivers of Tea cafe. It’s run by a retired Akamichi jōnin, and there’s all sorts of privacy seals. Lots of exits too, so a lot of us like it. Try there.”

“Thanks! Can you tell us where exactly it is? We haven’t been there before,” Chihiro asked.

“Sure. It’s off the main road, not too far from the Yamanaka compound.”

“Thanks again!”

“Good luck!” We used another Shunshin to get to the Yamanaka compound, then wandered around. It didn’t take too long to find the cafe, a pleasant looking place. Not too far from the main road, but still secluded. And the Yamanaka compound, barely a block away, radiated a sense of peace. Outdoor seating, as well as indoor. Snacks, and tea. But still only jōnin allowed inside. I made a mental note to visit this place, when I made jonin. Sitting outside was a younger jonin, sipping from a green teacup. We exchanged a glance, and Chihiro stepped forward.

“Hello. Are you helping out with the chunin exams?” The jonin looked up, and took another sip.

“Possibly.” I felt Kakashi’s chakra jump in irritation, but before he could say anything, Chihiro shot him a look. She turned back to the jonin.

“I think that this is another test. You could be essential to us passing this stage, and also, our first steps on the path to jonin. We’d owe you, for this. So, is there any favor you’d like to call in now? Or would you prefer to wait?” The jonin finished his tea, and smiled.

“Impressive. Then again, you have two clan children on your team. I’ll wait on the favor. Now, I believe you’re running a bit short on time. Shouldn’t you be heading back to the administration center?”

“Ok. Thanks!” We used another Shunshin to get back in time, and the jōnin followed us. We saw only a few other teams there, who were full of nervous energy. I was pretty sure we had passed, especially since all the other teams had a jōnin nearby. So, for the remaining ten minutes or so, we waited. Only one more team came in before the proctor came from inside.

“Time is up!” The proctor called sharply. A few of the genin jumped. I counted swiftly. Only…six teams left. I knew that was way less than we had started with. Two Konoha teams, including us. One Ame, one Suna, and two Kumo teams. The proctor studied us, then smiled.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting quite that many people to fail. Congratulations to the rest of you. You all pass.” A relieved sigh ran through the assembled genin, and the proctor chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t relax. You still have plenty more challenges to face. The second stage will begin shortly. I’ll allow the next proctor to explain.” A female jōnin came forward.

“The next part will be a survival test. You have five days to retrieve scrolls in an area that will simulate enemy territory. The scrolls you seek will be the same color as your starting color. There’s three scrolls total. Each teammate needs one. And they won’t be the only things you’re looking for. Once you’ve found all the scrolls, head to the center of the forest.” I felt more signatures in the area, chunin that I had felt before. More watchers, like Sensei’s bell test?

“What sort of enemy territory?” The kunoichi on the other Konoha team asked.

“You will be in a place called the Forest of Death. It’s full of deadly animals, but they are not the only danger.”

“What else will we be looking for?” A slightly sadistic grin appeared on the proctor's face. She also let out a tiny amount of killing intent. I tensed. Something…something was coming. I gently pinged my chakra at Chihiro and Kakashi, and they were a bit more alert too.

“You’ll see. Now, Your exam starts…now.” I felt something on my shoulder, a touch, and then everything faded to black.

I awoke to Matatabi growling in my mind.

 **That was a mean trick. How dare they!** I opened my eyes, but couldn’t see anything. I took a breath, trying to concentrate. I could hear, and smell, and my chakra sense was still working. I didn’t feel any pain, so I didn’t think I was injured. Okay. I still felt all of my pouches on me, and a quick check, revealed that they were still full. Next, where was I? It felt like I was leaning up against a tree trunk. And that I was sitting on a branch. Hmm. I’d have to be careful how I moved. Pushing chakra to my ears and nose, it smelled like my previous visit to the Forest of Death. My chakra sense told me my shadows were nearby, but no one else. Vague signatures were all around. But whether those were animals, or knocked out genin, at the moment, it was impossible to tell. Next, why couldn’t I see? One possibility was that the jutsu on my mask had failed. But considering Sensei and Kushina’s skills, and Sakumo-sensei’s attention to detail, I doubted it. I felt for it, and it was there, but there was another layer of cloth. And, some sort of paper that felt like a seal tag. That…wasn’t good. I didn’t want to mess with the seal tag when I didn’t know what it did. Matatabi’s growling increased.

 **Putting you in such a difficult territory, and taking away a major defense is a cruel test!** I grimaced. I didn’t disagree, exactly. But…

_Maybe…in enemy territory the odds are stacked against you. And you could be injured._

**Hmm. It still doesn’t make it right.**

_Can you help me?_

**Yes. I’d advise masking your signature. I will do the same. But I can help enhance your senses, not to mention, increase your sensory range.** I took a breath as the new information flooded my senses. I didn’t know the scent of everything, but Matatabi did. Even with the new information, I didn’t feel comfortable staying in the trees. Carefully, I climbed down to the forest floor. A chakra signature blazed to life, some sort of lightning signature. Not Kakashi’s, but another person.

**You have no idea what you’re getting into.**

_I know. But I’ll stand a better chance overall working with someone._

**Hmm. Be careful**. I set off, heading towards the chakra signature. Moving without sight was difficult, but with everything else essentially supercharged, it helped. But I also moved more slowly than I usually did. Finally, I made it to the lightning signature. I heard movement, and tensed, but sensed no hostility.

“Hey. I can’t hear anything, and I just woke up. I don’t know what’s going on. You’re Konoha, do you know?”

_Maybe._

“Um..if you’re using sign language, I don’t understand it. I’m from Kumo. I think we have a different system.” I winced. Had not completely thought this through. And this boy was from Kumo…but maybe, if I was careful…and I didn’t sense any hostility from him. Okay. But for actually communicating…I had written notes to Sora-sama, Rin-chan, and Obito-kun. I knelt, and started tracing characters in the dirt.

_I don’t speak. And I can’t see, I think because of a seal. I think this test is simulating that we have an injury._

“Oh. That makes sense. And yeah, I have a seal on me too. I know enough not to take it off if I don’t know what it does.”

_This test will be hard without teammates. Work together?_

“I don’t have a problem with that. Some of this village to village hostility is weird. And since you can hear, and I can see, I bet we’ll balance each other out. I’m Arata Yotsuki. You can call me Arata-kun.”

 _Shinobu Katsuki. Shinobu-chan please_.

“Okay. So…any idea where to go?” I hesitated. The trees would be bigger towards the center. And something Chihiro had said earlier, that the center would have a ton of traps.

_How big are the trees? They’ll be the biggest at the center._

“It’s hard for me to judge. I’m used to mountains, not trees. If I estimated how big the trunks are, or estimated how tall it was, would that help?” I nodded.

“Ok. Stay there for a minute.” I could hear Arata-kun pacing around not too far away.

“Uh…maybe sixty feet high? And ten feet, maybe a bit more, around? Roughly?” I thought about that as Arata-kun came back. Typical Hashirama trees were usually around a hundred feet tall, and maybe twenty five feet around. So we were actually close to the edge. Hmm. I knew it had still been morning when the first exam ended, and I didn’t think that much time had passed.

_Can you tell where the sun is?_

“Oh sure. It’s before noon, so it’s still east. Oh, right. It’s directly behind you.” I sniffed carefully. The forest smells were stronger in front of me, than behind me.

_We need to head directly west._

“Okay then. That should be easy enough. Let’s go.” Hours passed slowly. We stayed on the ground, neither of us quite confident about using the trees just yet. We did accidentally stumble into a nest of centipedes at one point. I had heard the clicking sounds first, and sensed chakra forms, and Arata-kun saw them next.

“Shinobu-chan! There’s…they’re huge bugs!” I drew a kunai and threw it, depending on my chakra sense and hearing. I heard a hiss, and threw another few, hearing more hisses.

“Nice!” I heard Arata-kun go to work defending himself. I honestly didn’t know how many we killed, just that it was a lot, and it took a while before I couldn’t sense any more centipedes in the area.

“I think that’s it.” I nodded, and we retrieved what we could. We moved a little further away, and paused. I wrote on the ground again, and felt Arata-kun over my shoulder.

_How big are the trees?_

“Oh, sure. I think they’ve gotten to maybe a hundred feet or so? And maybe around thirty feet around?” Typical Hashirama trees then. Somewhere in the middle of the forest, but not the center.

_We need to keep going west._

“Okay.” We paused again not long later, and I heard Arata-kun grumble. I could smell water, and a lot of it. No sound to indicate a river. That…was odd. I could also smell metal.

_Are there traps, or weapons around? What does the water look like?_

“I can’t see any traps. No weapons either. It seems to be pretty clear. The water’s some sort of small lake it looks like? Is this place supposed to have a lake here?” I thought about that. I didn’t know. Especially when I could sense just the faint traces of a jutsu. Carefully, I walked out onto the surface. When I reached the spot where I smelled metal, I crouched, and reached. My hand came into contact with a smooth cylinder, but what it actually was, I didn’t know. Arata-kun came up besides me.

“That’s a scroll case! It’s got a blue band around it. Not my color. Yours?” I shook my head. “I’ll keep a lookout if you can reach for another?” I nodded, and, holding the current scroll case with one hand, reached in the water again. I came up with about four more cases, and Arata-kun checked the colors.

“Purple! Finally! Let’s see, there’s also red, yellow, and green. Uh…one of these yours?” I nodded. “Red is one, yellow two, green is three.” I smiled faintly, and held up three fingers.

“Ok. I got our cases, and if you put the others back, we can keep going.”

That night, we found a hollow tree to make camp. Arata-kun built a small, concealed fire for warmth after we set a crazy amount of traps. I pulled a storage scroll out, and Arata-kun gasped.

“Wait, you’ve had those all along? Why didn’t you say so?” I shrugged.

_I didn’t know if we’d actually need them or not. But there should be a seal with food._

“Oh, sure. How do you release a single seal?”

_A bit of chakra, channeled only into that one seal._

“Okay.” Two minutes later, we both had standard food rations, and my scroll was back in its case. We ate in silence, then agreed to stay up. With our various disabilities, it would be hard to keep watch on our own.

“Hey Shinobu-chan? I’ve been wondering. The seal you have, you said keeps you from seeing. But…weren’t you the kunoichi with the mask in the first round?” I nodded. I hesitated for a bit. How much did I want to tell this Kumo boy? Inoichi-san had mentioned it was a good step if I felt comfortable telling people. But did I, with Arata-kun? No sense of deja vu with him, but kind. Willing to listen, and hadn’t complained at my methods. We had worked well together.

_Matatabi?_

**He does seem decent. And there have been Kumo shinobi who were kind to each other. If you feel comfortable, go ahead.** Since I could feel the chilly night, I gently reached for Arata-kun’s arm. The moment we made contact, I felt something, some sort of vibration, but it felt almost like music. I froze. What was that? Matatabi sat alert in my head.

**Oh.**

_What?_

**I’ll explain later. But your chakra is resonating with his, and from how he’s treated you so far, you can trust him.** I took a breath.

“Shinobu-chan, are you okay?” I nodded. Finding his hand, I traced characters there.

_I can still see. I don’t like showing my full face. It was a present._

“Oh. Huh. Then….well, if you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you speak? That didn’t seem to be caused by a seal.” I flinched, and Arata-kun’s chakra jumped in anxiety. “Really, you don’t have to answer! I…I’m just curious.” I hesitated, then more slowly, with a slightly shaking hand, began tracing characters again.

_I….it’s hard for me to talk about. I….I was hurt very, very badly. I….I couldn’t really function. I have the capability to speak. But…I don’t feel comfortable speaking out loud anymore._

“Oh. I’m so sorry,” Arata-kun whispered. For the rest of the night, we simply kept watch. A couple of predators got killed by our traps, but no other genin. When morning came, we ate more rations, cleared up our traps, and got moving. The trees, going by Arata-kun’s occasional reports, slowly got bigger, and the area became more dangerous. Traps were everywhere, and we had to be very, very careful navigating. Giant tigers came after us once, but Arata-kun led the way, and we managed to use a trap to kill the tigers. Maybe an hour later, Arata-kun stopped.

“Shinobu-chan, there’s this tower pretty much right in front of us. Well, okay, maybe still a little ways off, but still. Do you know what that means?”

_Head for it. Watch out for more traps. But that’s where we need to go._

“Alright.” After half an hour of dodging around traps, man-eating plants, and more predators, we finally made it to the tower. The rush of cooler air caressed my face, our footsteps echoed off what I assumed to be stone, and my mask filtered the familiar smell of paper scrolls into my nose. I sensed people around us, mostly chunin from their signatures, although there was another genin pair which happened to include another very familiar lightening signature. Kakashi was here. I breathed a sigh of relief, and started forward. A chunin signature came to meet us.

“Hello. Did you two get scrolls?” Arata-kun and I both pulled out scrolls, and the chunin chuckled.

“Alright, Shinobu Katsuki, green, Team 7 of Konoha. Good. And Arata Yotsuki, Team 3 of Kumo. Purple. Very good, you both pass. Hold still for a moment, and I’ll get those seals off you.” I heard Arata-kun sigh in relief.

“Thanks! It was weird not hearing anything for a couple of days.”

“I bet. We wanted to simulate battlefield injuries, and the seals were made with the help of the two Seal Masters currently in Konoha.” I stiffened slightly. Oh, I was so getting back at Sensei and Kushina for this. I could probably get Kakashi and Chihiro in on it too. I heard a slight crinkle of paper, the whisper of cloth, and I could see again. I bowed in thanks to the chunin.

“Well, you have three and a half days to spend until the next exam. Showers and barracks are on the next few floors. No fighting in between yourselves, got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. See you.” I turned to Arata-kun, and saw him rubbing his ears. He was tan, and had dark brown hair, practically black. It was tied into a sleek ponytail at the nape of his neck.

“Hey Shinobu-chan, thanks for all of your help.”

 _You too_. He grinned, and I froze when I saw his eyes. He blinked, the one blue, one brown eye showing concern.

“Something wrong?” I shook my head.

Just tired.

“Okay. I’ll see you around then.” My mind raced as I took a wonderfully hot shower. Blue and brown eyes? He was the first person I had ever seen with different colored eyes, apart from myself. Did other genin in the exam have that trait? No one in Konoha did. And Arata-kun was completely familiar with himself. What did this mean? Before I could ponder too much more, I sensed Kakashi’s rapidly approaching signature.

“Shinobu!” Kakashi opened his arms a bit uncertainly for a hug, and I nodded. He hugged me, and I returned the embrace. It felt good, and I had missed him.

“Are you okay?” I nodded, and Kakashi sighed, his chakra calming.

“Good. My partner and I claimed a barracks. We can talk there.” A girl with long, black hair in a ponytail looked up, waved, and immediately yawned. She had a signature that I’d never felt before. It felt…like nighttime. I wondered what that meant.

“Hey. I’m Tatsu Nara. You must be Shinobu-chan. I’ve heard a lot about you.” I hesitated, and glanced towards Kakashi. He sent a reassuring ping.

“I told her a bit about you and Chihiro.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Kakashi-kun mentioned that you were super shy, and I know from rumors around our clan, you’ve had a really rough time. Just let me know if I go too far, okay?” I nodded cautiously, and sat. Kakashi sat next to me, and I leaned against him with a tired sigh.

“How were you ‘injured’?”

 _Blinded._ I signed. Tatsu-san winced.

“Ouch. All the muscles in one of my arms were asleep for the entire time. Made fighting interesting.” I smiled. It was nice that someone else understood sign language. It was nice to be able to use it again. “No sense of smell.” Kakashi growled. Hmm. The proctors had done their research.

 _How much did they actually know about everyone’s abilities?_ I wondered. Tatsu-san looked impressed.

“That’s a good point. For some of the clans, it would have been obvious. I’m dependent on ninjutsu, so taking that ability away made sense. Same with Kakashi-kun’s nose. You though, I don’t know why you were blinded. What was the case for your partner?”

 _Loss of hearing._ Tatsu-san’s eyes gleamed.

“Interesting! Maybe if they don’t know a key strength of someone, they chose randomly? I’ll have to ask the other genin when they come in.” Tatsu-san let out a massive yawn. “But. That can wait.”

We went to bed after that, and I woke up when I sensed new chakra signatures. Kakashi, and Tatsu-san were still asleep. Maybe I was still too jumpy? Matatabi yawned.

**Might be sensory overload. I may have pushed your coils a bit too much. I’ll keep quiet for a bit so they can recover.**

_Thanks._ Twenty minutes later, the new signatures came into the barracks. Both were Konoha genin, with damp hair, and looking exhausted. The taller of the two boys raised a hand in greeting. He had a bandage over his nose, dark eyes, and spiky brown hair. His signature felt like a large boulder. The other boy was shorter, had dark hair, and sunglasses with red frames. His signature crackled, like warm coals.

“Hey. Any bunks open?” The shorter boy asked. I nodded, and pointed to the ones nearest Tatsu-san. I suspected the boys were her teammates.

“Thanks.” The boys fell asleep quickly, but I wasn’t tired anymore. I headed outside, and started exploring. I kept my signature hidden, and moved as stealthily as I could. I didn’t really want to get scolded by anyone. At one point, I did see Dog, standing in front of a door leading to the top levels. He shook his head slightly, and I nodded. I moved on. By sunset, I recognized one of the new signatures coming in. I woke Kakashi, and we waited until Chihiro had gotten a shower. When she saw us, she grinned and tackled both of us. We went flying to the ground, Chihiro on top of us.

“So good to see you! I’ve missed you!” Chihiro let me go first, for which I was grateful. Kakashi grunted as Chihiro let go, and glared at her.

“Did you have to make us fall on the floor?” Chihiro shrugged, her grin never fading. Kakashi sighed.

“You passed?”

“Yeah. You too?”

“Yep.” Chihiro grinned even wider. “That’s wonderful! Knew you’d be okay! I just wasn’t expecting to get separated like that. They blinded me, so annoying. And I had to work with a couple of Kumo genin. That was interesting. Not too annoying though. After the initial hostility, they were actually pretty friendly.”

 _Do you know if that’s everyone?_ I wondered. Kakashi frowned.

“No idea. There were other teams, so more might come in. No guarantee if they’ll pass though.” With the commotion we were making, the other Konoha genin began waking up. The boy with the bandage on his nose came out first, closely followed by his two teammates. The boy with sunglasses grinned.

“Oh, hey! This means two Konoha teams have passed. Nice!”

“We should really compare notes,” Tatsu-san suggested. We all looked at Chihiro as her stomach rumbled. She smiled sheepishly.

“And food! Uh…where….” I smiled, and gestured for everyone to follow me. Over dinner, we compared notes on our various experiences. Aoba-kun, the boy with sunglasses, had gotten his hearing cut off. Raido-kun, the other boy, had gotten one of his arms completely numbed.

“I can’t believe you two managed to land close to each other. Lucky!” Tatsu-chan grumbled.

“I’ll say. You still caught a break with Kakashi though,” Chihiro pointed out. Tatsu-chan shrugged.

“True. But it would have been interesting working with foreigners. How many people do you think refused to work together, because of village to village relations?”

“I honestly didn’t expect things to go so well with the Kumo genin. Shinobu?” I shook my head.

_I didn’t either. But Arata-kun was very nice._

“So, we have three days left before the exam ends. Now what?” Aoba-kun asked.

Kakashi immediately piped up. “Train.”

Tatsu-chan groaned. “Not tonight!”

“Fine.” We separated, Chihiro, Kakashi and I went for a walk, and the others went to bed.

“You really okay Shinobu?”

 _Yes. It was interesting. But we worked together well enough._ I admitted.

“Good.”

_I did learn something. The seals used? Sensei and Kushina created them._

“What?” Kakashi snarled. Chihiro’s eyes turned red for a few seconds.

“Oh, no fair!”

 _I was planning a prank._ I offered. Kakashi snorted, and Chihiro grinned.

“Oh, you’ve so got my support. Kushina’s going to be tricky to prank though.”

“Sensei too.”

“Not as much as Kushina. Sensei’s a genius jonin, but Kushina’s an Uzumaki.” Kakashi thought for a moment, then nodded.

“True. So what are you thinking?” I smiled.

_Annoying them. What…what about a forgetting seal?_

“Can you really do that?”

_I think it would be similar to a genjutsu. I’ll need your help, Chihiro, to figure out how to transfer a genjutsu to a seal._

“Oh, sure.”

“What would a forgetting seal even do? Just make you forget one thing?” Kakashi wondered. I shook my head.

_Not exactly. If I can do it right, I’d make them forget what they were doing whenever they come into a room. Or…maybe a place._

“So…forgetting to file mission reports? Forgetting to buy groceries? Or cook? Forgetting about mission times?” Chihiro asked. I nodded, a mischievous smile forming. Chihiro burst out laughing.

“I love it! That’s perfect revenge!”

“They’ll be disadvantaged for a while. Considering we were, it does make sense. And, it would even make life difficult for the Hokage. And Sensei and Kushina would have made those tags on his orders. I like it. Will you need a distraction?” Kakashi offered. I shrugged.

_I don’t know. Maybe. I need to do research first._

“Okay.” We all smiled conspiratorially to each other.

The next few days actually passed reasonably quickly. Kakashi, Chihiro and I hung out a lot with Tatsu-chan, Aoba-kun, and Raido-kun. We were able to compare notes on techniques, and on other people in the exam. That made me feel slightly more comfortable about all of this. We also trained. Due to the second exam, we all knew about holes in our techniques, and worked to take care of them. I sadly didn’t have any sealing scrolls to consult, but I did talk to Chihiro about genjutsu a lot. Tatsu-chan jumped in a few times, showing her clan’s intelligence by suggesting plans, and suggesting ideas for the seals themselves. Turns out, she knew a lot about Yin Release, which was key to genjutsu. That helped a lot. A few more teams came in, a mix of Kumo, Ame, and Suna genin. But none of them had passed. By the end of the exam period, every genin had come in, but no one else had passed. I sensed a familiar signature too. Sensei was here. It didn’t take long to find him, on the ground floor balconies. I hugged him briefly, but tightly. He grinned, especially when Chihiro and Kakashi also greeted him enthusiastically.

“Hi! I was told my team did well. I just got back to the village from a quick mission. Since all the jōnin-sensei were needed for the end of the second exam, I came.”

“It was an interesting exam, Sensei. Not really what we expected,” Chihiro admitted sheepishly.

“Yet you anticipated, adapted, and succeeded. Tell me exactly what you did.” We described everything that had happened, and Sensei didn’t ask many questions. But I could tell he was a little uneasy, despite how careful we’d been.

“I’m glad you were so careful around the Kumo teams, but continue to be careful,” Sensei said finally.

“We will. But Sensei, the genin were decent,” Chihiro promised. Sensei smiled.

“I’m glad to hear it. Maybe the Hokage’s hope to forge better village relations will actually work. Now, I think the proctor will be coming soon.” Sure enough, I sensed chunin and jōnin gathering around. The teams grouped up on the balconies with their sensei, everyone else on the floor below. A young Hyuga man stood by Raidō-kun, Aoba-kun, and Tatsu-chan. He must be their sensei. An older woman stood by the Kumo team, no doubt their sensei.

“Hey everyone! Congratulations for making it through the second round, even if you didn’t pass. It’s a difficult part of the exams, and genin have been known to die. Now, the third round of the exams takes place a month from now. I’ll let the proctor for the third exam explain.” The jōnin proctor for the second exam waved over to a woman standing by patiently.

“A whole month?” One of the Kumo genin asked.

“It’s because the third round involves combat. We give you that month, allow you to reflect, and to train. Once that month is up, you’ll be facing each other in one on one matches. We’ll assign the pairs now.” Explained the third proctor. She didn’t speak loudly, but her voice carried clearly to everyone in the room.

“Will we be facing our own teammates?” Tatsu-chan asked. The proctor inclined her head.

“It’s possible.” Whispers broke out among the other genin, at least before the various sensei brought them to order. The proctor looked at all of us.

“Any more questions?” When no one answered, she moved on. “Right then. Souta Chinoike against Chihiro Uchiha. Match one. Raidō Namiashi against Kakashi Hatake. Match two. Aoba Yamashiro against Arata Yotsuki. Match three. Shinobu Katsuki against Kei Ren. Match four. Tatsu Nara, you will be facing the victor of match four.” Oh no. I genuinely liked Arata-kun, even if his eyes puzzled me. Chihiro had said the other Kumo genin were alright. And I liked Aoba-kun, Raido-kun, and Tatsu-chan. And of course, Kakashi and Chihiro were my best friends, my family. Sparring was fine, but a full out battle, just for a promotion? I didn’t like this at all, even if Chihiro had warned us about this. I guess it was all sinking in now.

Several whispers broke out when the proctor finished listing the matches, this time stretching out longer. Eventually, we quieted down by ourselves.

“Right then. You all heard what’s going to happen. Everyone’s dismissed,” The proctor said. Sensei put a hand on Kakashi’s shoulders, and mine, and when Chihiro came closer, gave us all a hug.

“Sensei? What are we going to learn?” Kakashi asked.

“I’m going to train you as much as I can. We’ll work on all sorts of techniques,” Sensei promised, leading us outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RuthieToothie here!   
> >Reads chapter to beta it  
> >Sees her ideas for the exams have made it in  
> >YES.jpeg  
> >Reads further  
> >Sees the riddles she came up with in 30 minutes while walking her dog also made it in  
> >Victorydance.jpeg  
> >Reads even more  
> >Sees some hints dropped for future plot points that are important to the story  
> >AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.scream  
> >Can't freaking wait for future chapters  
> >Spams Stardust with texts begging for the next chapter  
> OK I'm done, lol. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I had so much fun suggesting ideas for the exams and I'm so happy so many of them made it in. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did!   
> Also happy belated Thanksgiving, for those who celebrate it. I don't celebrate the traditional side of it, considering, you know, the widespread massacre of the indigenous people of the Americas, but I do enjoy cooking food and talking with family. I hope everybody stayed safe and healthy, please don't risk yourself and others by traveling, videochat technology exists for a reason.  
> Anyway, see you in the next chapter!
> 
> StardustMuse:  
> Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


	17. Chapter 16: Bring Him Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final stage of the Chunin Exams. I swear, Team 7 can't quite catch a break,

Minato Namikaze 

I watched my team carefully. They had been working with almost all of their teachers for a full month. Sakumo had been on a couple of short missions, but for the most part he was in the village, drilling them relentlessly. Chiko had pushed them as well in various medical ninjutsu, and Kushina had given them more advanced training in seals. She had been on several back-to-back missions, but on her days actually in the village, she drilled them just as hard as Sakumo and Chiko. And of course, I had been teaching and training them as well. With so many different teachers, and the fact that they had all made it into the finals, I didn’t see the point for individual teachers, like most jonin-sensei did.

The three of them learned as quickly as ever, the little geniuses, and as I watched, Shinobu went through the hand seals for the new jutsu she had mastered. It was another offensive air jutsu, pretty advanced for a genin, yet it had taken her barely a week to master. She had also mastered all the water jutsu Kushina and I had for her. Her Fūton were coming along nicely, her repertoire mostly made up of solid D and C-ranks. She even had a couple B-ranks under her belt.

Chihiro had mastered her Katon, both standard jutsu, and those passed down from her clan. Her Raiton jutsu were getting better, the electricity striking truer and deadlier every day, her D- and C-ranks solid. Some of that was helped by the fact her Sharingan had developed enough to copy jutsu after seeing it only once. Still, learning another nature release wasn’t easy, and it took a lot of training to actually master a technique.

Kakashi’s Doton D-ranks were strong as well. Even though it was his secondary affinity, it was also opposite his primary. He struggled with them. While musing over this, I looked over the training ground, and whistled sharply. My team came closer, tired, yet pleased.

“Alright. Kakashi, well done on your lightening chakra cloak. It’s constantly getting better, and it might give your opponents quite the scare. Don’t use it unless you have to, though.”

“I know, Sensei. It drains my chakra like crazy,” Kakashi sighed.

“It’ll get better. Your reserves are expanding from the constant use during training, and when you hit puberty they'll expand even more,” I told him.

“Good!”

“Chihiro, also well done. Your fire jutsus are getting much more intense, and you have a lot of lightening jutsu now. ”

“Thanks. I have some ideas for more... subtle Raiton jutsu, but nothing that I'll be able to use for the fights. Could we work on that after?” I smiled and nodded at her, and she returned the gesture, pleased.

“Shinobu, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve mastered Suiton, and you’re doing very well with the Futon you’ve learned.” Shinobu nodded and gave a small, proud smile.

“It’s not common for genin to know two nature releases already. And you’ve all learned other new techniques. I’m so proud of you. That said, I still want you to be careful tomorrow.”

“We will,” Chihiro promised.

“Good. Now go get some sleep and a hot meal.”

“Bye Sensei!” Chihiro and Kakashi darted off, and Shinobu walked next to me as we headed home. Neither of us felt like hurrying things. That was, until we could see the brightly lit house, and sense Kushina in the kitchen.

The next morning, I stood by the railing of the arena, watching and waiting. Many more Kumogakure shinobi were in town, including the Third Raikage, and Chinoike and Yotsuki clan members. That could mean trouble, even if it was standard. I was worried for all of my students. They were reluctant to fight any of the friends they had made, which I could understand. But still….I sighed, and then sensed the presences of the entire ANBU team assigned to Shinobu. Apparently, the Hokage was a bit worried as well. Kushina, Sakumo, Chiko, Daido, and Aki all came up next to me.

“Hey! Have they come out yet?” Aki asked. I shook my head.

“No, not yet. They will soon though.” Another five minutes passed, and then the referee appeared in the arena. The finalists all stood waiting behind her, some more patiently than others.

“And here are this Exam’s finalists! These matches are one on one battles, and you will need to incapacitate your opponent, or force them to surrender. I can step in at any time. Would everyone please clear the arena for the first match?” The referee called. Chihiro and a Kumo boy shifted to face each other, while the others left.

“Chinoike Souta, Uchiha Chihiro, are you ready?” Both Chihiro and the Kumo boy nodded.

“Start!” The Kumo boy rushed in, launching a furious Taijutsu attack. Chihiro calmly dodged or blocked each strike, and in moments when the boy’s guard was down, she landed a few hits of her own. After several intense moments, they sprang apart, but the boy had to dodge out of the way of several thrown kunai.

“What’s that, not going to try anything but cheap shots? Figures! You did almost nothing in that last exam! I’ve heard plenty of rumors Konoha is spineless! This just proves it beyond all doubt! Come and face me!” The boy spat. Chihiro didn’t reply, but threw a few shuriken and kunai before launching a small fireball. Attack, retreat, regroup, reassess.

At my side, Sakumo nodded approvingly. “Good girl."

“She’s wrapped a few handles in explosive tags, but hasn’t activated them yet,” Daido mused, activating his Sharingan.

“She could be saving them for the next round. Preparing. Though why she would do that with explosive tags, I don’t know.” More taunts sounded from the arena floor, only to be cut off when the boy was forced to use a replacement jutsu.

“And that Kumo boy’s so busy trying to get her to lose her temper, he hasn’t noticed a thing,” Aki noticed proudly. The boy suddenly drew off his attack, and stared intently at Chihiro. She paused. They boy bore down on her, but she didn’t move. I frowned. Chihiro’s chakra didn’t seem to be in distress, so what was going on? The boy raised a kunai, and then skidded several feet backwards, nursing a leg as he did so. He didn’t get up right away, and Chihiro used that to her advantage, moving in close and striking with the hilt of her unsheathed kodachi.

“What just happened?” Sakumo asked, frowning. “Apart from some brilliant kenjutsu. The force of her initial strike was enough to send him backwards, but it looks like he couldn’t even use a leg, yet there’s no blood.”

“She pushed her chakra through her sword, using the sword to help shape and guide it. She then extended her chakra out from the sword, and it looks like the chakra did something to the boy,” Daido said thoughtfully. Chiko shook his head.

“Seal-less chakra scalpels. I didn’t think she had mastered them to that extent.”

“What do they do?” Kushina asked. Chiko’s eyes narrowed as he studied the now unconscious Kumo boy.

“In this case? I suspect severed a few nerves, in addition to causing enough damage to render the leg useless. Not permanently perhaps, but we’ll see.”

“Uchiha Chihiro is the winner of match one! Will the contestants for match two please make their way down to the arena?” Chihiro came up to our section of the stands, moving slowly and carefully.

“Well done,” Daido told her proudly. Chihiro smiled, but it seemed to take effort. I frowned.

“Are you hurt?”

“A few of the Taijutsu attacks made contact. I have some bruised ribs,” the girl admitted. Chiko groaned.

“Let me see.” Just a few moments later, he shook his head. “One of them is cracked. Not badly, I can fix it here. But you fought through quite a bit of pain.” As the medic-nin’s hands glowed green, Aki shook her head.

“Be more careful!”

Chihiro smiled ruefully. “Sorry, Mom.”

Chiko finished, and moved away. “Don’t do much more of that.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Namiashi Raidō, Hatake Kakashi, are you ready?” The proctor called. Both boys nodded, looking intently focused on each other. “Start!” Neither boy bothered with any sort of jibes or taunts and immediately rushed each other, Kakashi with kunai at the ready, Raidō with a sword. I noticed Chihiro was watching carefully, her Sharingan active. I grinned. She was probably hoping to copy a few tricks.

“Careful now, Kakashi,” Sakumo muttered, watching the exchange of blows.

“Wouldn’t he be better switching to his kodachi?” Chihiro asked. Sakumo shrugged, not taking his eyes off the match.

“It would give him longer reach, but I think he’s taking Raidō-kun’s measure first. Sometimes that’s easier with short blades.” The boys sprang apart, and Kakashi threw several shuriken then disappeared, appearing on the other end of the arena. Raidō sent an earth jutsu towards him, exclaiming

"Tsuchi Tou Tou no jutsu!" and causing the ground to move in waves towards Kakashi. The waves were not very large, but his opponent followed close behind them, sword at the ready. With the doton jutsu causing widespread tremors in the ground to either side of Kakashi, and Raidō approching from the middle, dodging was made near impossible for Kakashi to pull of without being tripped or struck. My student took this in and in a split second, his form blurred and vanished. Raidō spun around in confusion, bringing his sword up just in time to meet Kakashi's kunai striking at him from behind. I grinned and laughed.

“Oh, very good!”

“He boosted his speed? That was faster than a usual Shunshin…” Daido asked.

“No, that was Shunshin. He’s been training to get quicker with it, since another defensive technique he’s been working on drains his chakra much faster,” I explained. Chihiro's parents made noises of understanding before turning their attention back to the match. We watched for a few more minutes as the boys darted in and out, striking and slashing at each other with their weapons. Before too long, Kakashi drew his kodachi. Raidō shifted his stance, preparing to engage with an enemy that now had a longer reach, and they exchanged blows, swords clashing against each other. Sometimes, Kakashi just barely dodged out of the way, his opponent's sword missing him by a hair, or was forced to block, struggling to keep the older, stronger boy at bay. Other times, Raidō was the one to just barely dodge Kakashi's strikes, fending off whatever blows that he couldn't dodge with ease, yet clearly struggling with Kakashi's speed.

“There we go. Raidō-kun’s really very good,” Sakumo commented.

“Better than Kakashi?” I asked. I wasn’t the Kenjutsu expert, but both boys seemed to be about equally matched, Kakashi's speed and skill in the blade challenging Raidō's superior size and strength. I could sense their chakra running a bit low from enhancing their blade work and bodies.

“I don’t know. Kakashi’s excellent at mixing in all sorts of techniques, but Raidō-kun seems to be focusing more on just Kenjutsu." Daido activated his Sharingan again, then shook his head.

“No, he’s not. He’s got a very good camouflage Genjutsu going, and it’s confusing Kakashi, just a little.” I nodded thoughtfully. That explained why Kakashi hadn’t made counterstrikes when he would have normally.

“Yet Raidō-kun’s not taking into account Kakashi’s sense of smell,” Chihiro said thoughtfully. It was true; while Kakashi was slightly confused by the genjutsu he hadn't noticed, he was still keeping up with Raidō's movements, cocking his head occasionally to catch the other boy's scent. I made a note to myself to work on genjutsu recognition and dissolution with my student. Barely a minute later, Raidō ran out of chakra, and Kakashi landed a solid strike on the other boy. As the blow connected, Raidō managed to do the same on Kakashi. Both hits were hard enough to knock the two boys out. Chihiro laughed.

“That was a great match!” I grinned at her. Yes, it had been. Both boys had showed a lot of skill, and conserved their chakra well. The match had lasted longer than any in the crowd had expected. The Hokage would have his work cut out for him, deciding who would become chunin. He had not only the third stage to consider, but also the others.

“Double knockout! Match two is a draw! Will the participants for match three come onto the field?” The proctor called as medics carefully placed the boys onto stretchers.

“I’m going to check in with the medics. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I promised. I hurried down to the medical tent pitched just outside the arena. Both boys were still unconscious, and Chihiro’s previous opponent looked very irritated, but also a little dazed, no doubt on painkillers. The medic by Kakashi looked up as I came closer.

“You’re his sensei?”

“I am. How is he?”

“He’ll be fine. Mostly just some minor cuts and depleted chakra.”

“Will he be well enough to watch the other matches?” I asked. The medic smiled.

“We’ll see. Most likely he will, since none of the damage is serious. I’m not sure how soon he’ll wake up, though.” I ruffled Kakashi's hair, and left. Back up in the stands, Chihiro looked up briefly at me. Her Sharingan was still active.

“Sensei?”

“Kakashi’s going to be fine. Nothing serious, and if he gets lucky, he might get to see more matches.”

“Will he be in time for Shinobu’s?” Kushina asked. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. What did I miss?”

“Not much. They’ve been at a stalemate, at least with jutsu, for a bit,” Aki explained. “The Kumo boy has released a lot of high-powered Raiton jutsu. He has large reserves; clanborn, I’d wager. Aoba-kun has some Katon under his belt, and since that’s not necessarily weak or strong against lightening, it’s been an interesting match up so far. On the other hand, the Kumo boy’s running a little low on chakra. Aoba-kun, not as much.” I watched as the two boys went at each other, mostly with taijutsu, but weapons seemed to be a factor for the Kumo boy. He was carefully and sneakily threading the ground with ninja wire as he moved around Aoba.

“Hmm. Ninja wire, plus weapons, and taijutsu. That’s quite a combo,” Daido mused. A few seconds later, it was all over. Aoba had taken kunai to his legs, and was hopelessly entwined in ninja wire.

“Yotsuki Arata is the winner of match three! Will the participants for match four please come down?” Shinobu stood still in front of the Kumo girl, who looked a bit more impatient.

“Good luck!” Chihiro called. Shinobu didn’t move, but Chihiro grinned. If I had to guess, Shinobu had sent a chakra ping acknowledging her.

“Look, I know you Konoha shinobi have grit. One kunoichi to another, I can respect that. But don’t you dare hold back. Come at me with everything you’ve got. It won’t be a fair fight otherwise,” The Kumo girl said. Shinobu hesitated, but nodded.

“Katsuki Shinobu, Ren Kei, are you ready?” The two girls nodded. “Start!” Shinobu sprang away, throwing kunai as she went. The Kumo girl dodged the weapons, skidding a bit on the dirt as she scrambled to a stop. I grinned again. Good girl, moving fast enough to take an opponent down a notch or two in confidence.

“Well, that’s a first for today. Neither rushed in,” Daido mused.

Kushina responded absentmindedly, thouroughly absorbed in the match. “Not really Shinobu’s personality.”

Shinobu threw more weapons, a mixture of kunai and shuriken. The Kumo girl dodged out of the way, more calmly this time, and sent her own kunai and shuriken flying towards Shinobu. Shinobu either dodged, blocked, or neatly intercepted all the weapons. While she was busy, her opponent closed the gap, and engaged in taijutsu. Shinobu blocked the blows, not using too much chakra, from what I could sense. After a few more seconds, Shinobu agilely slipped to the side, and Chihiro burst out laughing. Moments later, I understood why, as a cloud of smoke erupted right into the Kumo girl’s face. Then, Shinobu disappeared into the trees, her signature becoming completely muted. The Kumo girl emerged from the smoke cloud, coughing. She scanned the field.

“Well, if that’s how it’s gonna be.” She started laying traps, using genjutsu to mask her movements. This time, it was Kushina's turn to burst into laughter.

“What is it?”

“Shinobu’s been learning from my summons. That Kumo girl is being hunted, maneuvered into traps. The best part? She has no idea!”

“Shinobu’ll be able to get through that minefield?” Sakumo asked curiously. Kushina shrugged.

“I don’t know what she’ll do.” At that moment, a volley of kunai, shuriken, and senbon came flying from the trees, and some curved, controlled by ninja wire. The Kumo girl had to spend the next minute dodging out of the way of everything, being forced to use Kawarimi more than once. After that, she decided her chances of succeeding would be better where there was more cover. She headed into the trees, and I smiled. Reasonable, but at the same time foolish. That place was likely more trapped than the ground outside. We heard clashes of metal, a couple of yelps, and a burst of lightening lit up the arena before the Kumo girl came flying out of the forest. She skidded to a halt, barely avoiding setting off her own traps.

“Lightening?” Daido asked curiously. I frowned.

“She’s working on wind. She doesn’t have any Raiton yet.”

“We compared a few notes before the exam. Traded a few supplies. Worked on some electricity trap seals together,” Chihiro explained absently. I smiled again. Oh, my clever, clever genin. It was wonderful to see how well they were doing as a team. Though I found it interesting that Shinobu hadn’t used ninjutsu yet. The girl in question emerged from the trees, looking no worse for wear. She walked calmly to the Kumo girl, absently picking her way through the traps. The Kumo girl met her once more in the middle of the arena.

“I got what I asked for. Let’s finish this.” They engaged in another close combat battle, kunai held in both hands.

“Smart girl. Conserving chakra, not showing everything she can do,” Aki grinned. Suddenly, the Kumo girl’s arm went limp, swiftly followed by her other arm. The girl sprang away, staring at Shinobu.

“Chakra scalpels again?” Aki asked Chiko. He shrugged, frowning. Shinobu engaged again, this time making a leg go useless.

“No…I don’t….wait a minute. She did use them, but also added wind chakra. That’s going to hurt,” Chihiro realized. The Kumo girl crashed to the ground, unable to move.

“Well played.” She gasped out. Shinobu bowed respectfully to her, and the Kumo girl bared her teeth in a ferocious grin.

“Katsuki Shinobu is the winner of match four! Will Nara Tatsu come down to the floor?” Shinobu backed away as the medics came for the Kumo girl, then waited patiently as Tatsu came to face her.

“Katsuki Shinobu, Nara Tatsu, are you ready?” The girls nodded. “Start!” Tatsu immediately knelt and placed her hands on the ground. Black shadows raced towards Shinobu, and she darted away.

“Shadow possession right away?” Aki wondered. Daido shrugged.

“It is a main technique for the Nara clan.”

“And Tatsu-chan’s seen that Shinobu’s fast. Shadows move quickly, too. Might be the only way to catch her,” Sakumo mused. Shinobu continued moving quickly, just staying out of the shadow’s reach. She threw a few kunai, which impacted the ground around her. I frowned. Usually, Shinobu’s aim was spot on…My suspiscions were confirmed when the ground erupted, throwing the Nara girl off balance, and the resulting cloud of dust meant she couldn’t use her shadow techniques, even if she wanted to.

“Ah, not if she does that!” Kushina said, grinning.

“Very smart. Those explosive kunai you threw earlier, Chihiro, were still there, along with other tags either she or someone else planted,” I said approvingly.

“I didn’t realize they were still there,” Chihiro said, amazed. While the dust cloud settled, I realized I couldn’t sense Shinobu at all.

“Chihiro, can you see her?”

“Glimpses. She’s darting around, but what she’s doing, I don’t know.” Finally, the dust cloud dissipated. Tatsu looked winded and bruised. I wondered if Shinobu had struck at the other girl. Still, Tatsu placed her hands on the ground again. Shinobu began to dart out of the way, but her body froze.

“Is she stuck?” Sakumo asked. Chihiro nodded.

“Afraid so.”

“Gotcha! Knew you couldn’t run forever, and I can channel the shadows underground too. It would be wise to surrender,” Tatsu panted, out of breath. Shinobu struggled against the possession, then stopped. All of the sudden, I sensed a massive flare of chakra. It felt blinding, and Chihiro closed her eyes, rubbing them.

“What was that?” Aki asked.

“A chakra flare?” Sakumo wonderd, staring down at the two girls. Shinobu was moving again, and Tatsu looked very frustrated.

“Yep.” I said, grinning. Very, very smart girl. Shinobu was doing so well.

“Oh, I get it now. A chakra flare that intense would break the Nara girl’s hold if she wasn’t concentrating on her own chakra,” Daido realized. I nodded in agreement.

“That, or the effort to maintain it in the face of the flare would have depleted Tatsu-chan’s reserves completely. She was smart to let go, and not fight it.”

“She’s using too much chakra with another jutsu though,” Chihiro muttered, her Sharingan active again. Sure enough, the Nara girl had her hands on the ground again, concentrating hard.

“She’s getting frustrated. She didn’t anticipate Shinobu would be quite this difficult, and she’s going for an all out attack, in one last attempt,” I guessed. Shinobu seemed to realize this too, and launched multiple kunai against the Nara girl. The kunai whipped towards their target and struck their mark, piercing the girl's shoulder and arms. Yet there were more kunai flying, and Shinobu dodged, then used Kawarimi.

“Double knockout?” Kushina asked, seeing Shinobu fall to the ground. I leaned forward, and Chihiro grinned.

“No, look!” Shinobu stood, and looked across the arena to where Tatsu was not getting up.

“Katsuki Shinobu is the winner again! We will have an intermission, then the next round will begin,” The proctor announced. Shinobu came up to our place in the stands, looking a bit tired.

“Are you alright?” I asked. She nodded.

_Just took me by surprise, to have weapons flying out of the shadows. I’ve only got a few scratches._

“Might as well heal those. Here,” Chiko said, his hands glowing green again.

“He was fine. But now that we have a break, I’ll check on him again.” I hurried back down to the medical tent. Kakashi was sitting up, glowering at the inside of the tent. I hid a smile.

“Sensei? Can I leave yet? It’s boring in here, and I’m fine.”

“Your chakra’s still low, but I’ll talk to the medics,” I promised. Kakashi sighed. I wandered over to a medic, and asked. The medic nodded.

“Yes, he can go. But he’s not allowed to over extend himself!”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t.” Kakashi, relieved, walked next to me back up to the stands. There, Sakumo engulfed him in a hug.

“Tou-san! Can’t breathe!” Sakumo grinned at his son's protests, and let go. Chihiro and Shinobu both gathered around Kakashi.

“How did you do?” Kakashi asked Shinobu.

_I won both my matches._

“So you fought that Kumo girl and the Nara?”

_They were tricky._

“Nice job,” Kakashi said. Shinobu smiled.

“We’re still on break, but the next round starts soon,” Aki informed Kakashi. He nodded, then looked up at Sakumo.

“Tou-san? I’m hungry. Can we get something to eat?”

“Of course. Come on.”

“Hurry Kakashi!” Kushina called. Kakashi waved, then darted off, Sakumo on his heels.

“Shinobu and I need to go. See you in a bit!” Chihiro said after a few more minutes.

“Be careful.” Chihiro waved, then headed down to the arena with Shinobu. I sighed. Things were getting a bit tense, but all of my students had performed extremely well already.

“Three left. That Kumo boy, Chihiro, and Shinobu,” Aki sighed. Sakumo and Kakashi arrived back, each with snacks.

“They’re starting?” Kakashi asked Kushina.

“Chihiro and the Kumo boy are up first. Shinobu’s fighting whoever wins, if there’s not a double knockout.” Chihiro stood at the ready, though I noticed she was extremely focused, and a little on edge. Probably just nerves. I had missed a good part of the last match with this boy. The Kumo boy stood ready as well. On the proctor’s mark, they rushed together, kunai clashing, in addition to taijutsu strikes. After a few seconds they sprang apart, and Chihiro dodged out of the way of shuriken. She drew her kodachi, and rushed in again. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to end things quickly. The Kumo boy had done well previously, and Chihiro was still a little sore from her cracked ribs. Chihiro had channeled chakra down her sword again, but the Kumo boy kept dodging, trailing ninja wire. Chihiro cut through the ninja wire, but also leaped away, just to be safe.

“That Kumo boy replenished his reserves, for the most part. And he’s being more cautious about his use of chakra,” Daido muttered. “Chihiro is using her Sharingan, but she’s tired.”

The Uchiha girl flew through hand seals, and a series of fireballs shot towards the Kumo boy. He dodged, then had to keep dodging as the fireballs kept following him. In a few of them, shuriken had been concealed, and drew blood from the Kumo boy. He slammed his hand on the ground, and the ground exploded again. Chihiro had to spring into the air to avoid the worst, and while she was in the air, the Kumo boy flashed through hand seals.

“Raiton: Cutting Spear!” Chihiro, left with nowhere to go, took the attack head on. It hit her in her thigh, cutting through. She fell to the ground, her entire body twitching. She groaned, and managed to get to her knees. But I could tell it was taking all her strength to do so, and her muscles were still seizing up from the electric shock.

“I don’t want to hurt you more. Please forfeit.” Chihiro glared, then sighed.

“Alright. I forfeit.”

“Yotsuki Arata wins!” The proctor announced. I hurried to the arena floor, closely followed by Aki and Daido. Medics were already by Chihiro’s side. She had collapsed to the ground afterward, and the Kumo boy stood by, a little uncertainly. Decent kid, to be concerned about a former opponent. She was still awake, thankfully, but looked exhausted and in pain.

“Will she be ok?” Aki asked one of the mednin.

“She should be fine, although that jutsu was quite effective. She’s going to need a couple nights in the hospital to make sure there’s no permanent nerve damage.” We all breathed sighs of relief, and Aki ran a hand comfortingly through her daughter's hair. Chihiro's eyes fluttered closed, but she forced them back open and directed her gaze at me.

“Sensei, cheer Shinobu on for me.” I knelt at her side and gave her hand a brief squeeze.

“I will. And Chihiro, I'm very proud of you." My student gave me a weak smile as the medics lifted the stretcher and carried her out of the arena, Daido and Aki following close behind. Comforted by the fact that my student was in capable hands, I headed up to the stands again, where Kakashi, Sakumo, and Kushina were waiting impatiently for news.

“She’ll be okay. But they’re taking her to the hospital to treat her and make sure there are no lasting effects.” Kakashi visibly relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good.” Our attention was drawn back to the arena, where Shinobu and her opponent had met to shake hands. I could see the Kumo boy speaking softly to Shinobu, quietly enough that the stands couldn’t hear. Shinobu didn’t seem to be too upset, though looked a bit sad. Did she know this boy?

“Kakashi, is this the boy Shinobu worked with in the Forest of Death?”

“Yeah. They apparently worked well together, and they passed the exam on the second day.” Hmm. The proctor called for the next match to start, and the Kumo boy threw a dozen kunai and shuriken in a matter of seconds. Shinobu dodged, unsheathed both of her tanto in an instant, then blocked each incoming projectile. A small wind jutsu cut any ninja wire to pieces. The Kumo boy rushed in with kunai at the ready and attacked.

“Whoa. She’s really taken my training to heart. Look out how fast she’s switching grips, and she’s boosting the edges with chakra,” Sakumo grinned as Shinobu continued defending.

“She’s adding just the smallest bits of wind jutsu to things, forcing the Kumo boy to go on the defensive. She’s also boosting her physical abilities,” I observed. The wind jutsu techniques Shinobu was using were more chakra control techniques than full jutsu, but still a testament to her chakra control. The Kumo boy backed up, and wove hand seals again.

“Raiton: Cutting Spear!” Shinobu immediately sheathed her tanto, and wove seals so fast, her hands were a blur. Wind blasted from her palm, and I grinned. Fūton: Reppūshō would work very well against Raiton. The two releases clashed, battering against each other, then the lightening fizzled out. The wind lasted a bit longer, whipping everyone’s hair and clothes around. The Kumo boy charged in, and Shinobu was forced once again on the defensive, bobbing and weaving between attacks and using her bare hands to redirect what strikes she couldn't avoid. After just a couple of minutes, however, the Kumo boy managed to land a strike on Shinobu’s face, cutting a thin gash through her upper cheek and towards her temple.

“She got hit!” Kushina cried. I leaned forward anxiously. It hadn’t been very deep, but head wounds bled a lot, and Shinobu's small size would act against her when it came to bleeding out. Also concerning, less for her physical health but more for her mental health, was the fact that the blow had shifted her mask, revealing her eyes. The Kumo boy facing her froze, shock flashing across his face.

Shinobu disappeared with Kawarimi, and the Kumo boy cautiously headed toward the forest. My student reappeared behind him, and he spun, blocking her tanto with a kunai. I noticed her mask was back in place, and that she was carefully maneuvering the Kumo boy into the minefield that the Kumo girl had set. Explosions forced dirt into the air, and it was nearly impossible to see. I couldn’t sense Shinobu’s signature, or any jutsu being used. Finally, they both reappeared, dusty, and breathing hard. The Kumo boy wove hand signs for a fire jutsu, which Shinobu countered with Suiton: Suriyūdan. The dragon roared as it flooded the entire arena. It also swept the Kumo boy into a wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious, as Shinobu cleared the water into the arena’s drainage pipes.

“Why’d the boy freeze?” Kushina asked. I shook my head. That had been more than the usual wariness most people had around Shinobu.

“I don’t know. They have some sort of history.”

“Katsuki Shinobu is the winner! Well done to all participants of the Chunin exams. The new Chunin will be announced by the Hokage and Raikage tomorrow morning,” the proctor announced. Shinobu left in a Shunshin, quickly reaching our section of the stands, and embraced me tightly. She lifted a hand away from her body so I could see her sign. Her hands were shaking.

_Can…can we go home?_

“Of course. You okay?” She didn’t seem too hurt, besides her face wound, but her whole body was trembling. Not to mention, her signature hadn’t reappeared yet.

 _I…I’m not injured badly. It’s just…_ Shinobu shook her head.

“It’s okay," I soothed. "I am so proud of all of you, you did so well.”

“Shinobu, can I convince you to wait on going home? I’ll take you and Kakashi out to whichever restaurant you want,” Kushina offered. Shinobu hesitated, then shook her head and buried it back into my chest. Kushina and I locked eyes, concern apparent in our gazes.

“That's fine. In that case, I’ll cook whatever you want when we get home,” my beautiful, understanding girlfriend promised. I smiled thankfully, and she dipped her head at me in acknowledgment.

“Kakashi, we can still go out to eat. Come on,” Sakumo stated, ruffling Kakashi’s hair and pulling his attention from his teamate. He was clearly concerned for Shinobu, but after glancing at both Kushina and I, seemed to understand we had the situation under control.

“Okay, tou-san. Bye, Sensei, Kushina-nee." He hesitated before ending with, "Good job, Shinobu. You were awesome." He blushed when I smiled proudly at him, and grabbed his dad's hand to drag him out of the stands. Sakumo was laughing as they walked, and sent a wave our way. I used a Hirashin jump to get us home quickly, and Kushina headed straight for the kitchen. By the time I settled on the couch with Shinobu in my lap, the girl's advanced jinchuuriki healing had kicked in, sealing the cut on her face without even the faintest scar left behind. The sounds of Kushina bustling around the kitchen washed over us. Her voice was muffled from where it was stuck in a cupboard, searching for something.

“Alright, Shinobu! What do you want?” I watched Shinobu’s hands, and smiled at her answer.

“Poke bowls!” I called to Kushina, and she let out a triumphant 'aha!' as she found whatever she was looking for.

“Ooh, yum. And I’ve got all the ingredients too!” The girl smiled shyly, her expression lightening up a little from it's previous blank panic. Shinobu really liked poke bowls, and I could understand why. You could never go wrong with rice, (usually) tofu, and a lot of vegetables. Yum. Shinobu and I waited quietly on the couch as Kushina cooked, and as more time passed I could sense Shinobu's chakra signature slowly begin to come back. When Kushina finished preparing the meal, I carried my ward to the table, setting her in her usual chair, and we dug in. We discussed the matches as we ate. A lot of the genin had done very well, and pulled out some interesting techniques. Not all of them were mature enough to actually lead teams yet, but I still suspected the Hokage would be naming quite a few chunin tomorrow. Hopefully, that would include my entire team, but I was biased that way. When Shinobu seemed to have relaxed fully, I finally asked the question on my mind.

“So, what happened with that boy?” Shinobu stirred a few vegetables around, before starting to sign.

 _I worked with him in the forest. He’s nice._ She paused, a wrinkle appearing between her brows as she considered her next words. _His…his eyes, they’re…like mine._ Kushina’s mouth fell open in shock.

“What?”

_One blue, one brown. I…I don’t know…I’ve been trying not to think about it, but…_

“Maybe it’s a link to your past?” I suggested.

_Matatabi hinted, but…she hasn’t explained much. Though she did say it was because she wanted me to focus on the exams._

“Hmm.”

_I…I also didn’t like the third round. You…you shouldn’t have to fight teammates or friends just for a promotion._

“You’re a kind soul, Shinobu. I get why you didn’t like fighting your friends," Kushina told her kindly. "But remember that the Chunin Exams are also meant to show off the village’s strength. I don’t think practice dummies would quite cut it," At this, Shinobu let out a giggle.

"Besides, the jonin would have stepped in if things had gotten too serious.” Shinobu thought about her words, finishing her lunch.

_I understand, I just don’t like it._

“Fair.”

“Shinobu, if you can, keep that kind soul of yours. There’s not many people like that, not in our world,” I told her. Shinobu smiled slightly, and nodded. She stood, placed her dishes in the sink, then headed to her room. Kushina and I sat in momentary silence, and I let a frown overtake my usual smile. I could see a matching expression on Kushina, and we let our worry for Shinobu (my student, our ward, our _daughter_ ) drive us into a tight hug. I breathed in the familiar, comforting scent of my girlfriend, her chakra signature (crashing, roaring waves; salty and dangerous, with an undercurrent of fiery, ancient, rage just underneath) reassuring mine.

The moment was broken by a pop and a small cloud of smoke, and a monkey summons appeared on our table. Caught off guard by a message carried by a summon of the Hokage himself, I unrolled the scroll the summons carried and scanned it. A frown once again found place on my face.

“Kushina, I’ll be back soon. The Hokage wishes to see me.”

“Okay. Be careful.” Kushina kissed me on the cheek, and I sent her a small grin, before using Hiraishin to get to the administration center. From there, I went up to the Hokage’s office. The chunin secretary nodded for me to knock, and I did so. I was told to enter, and when I did, I saw the Hokage with his best blank expression on. That’s…not necessarily good. Especially since the Hokage’s not known for pranking his jonin in such a way.

“Hokage-sama?” Holding up a hand to silence me, Hiruzen-sama activated the privacy seals for his office, and I felt the ANBU guards leave.

“There’s a problem. As you know, part of these exams were to establish trade routes. The past month, negotiations have been going well, and we've made more ground towards a treaty with Kumo since the villages were first established." The man took a puff of his pipe, and sighed. "Yet since just hours ago, A has been on the brink of pulling out on the grounds that we stole a clan member of theirs.”

“What?”

“I don’t have all the details yet. The Raikage mentioned something about unique eyes, and a girl with a mask. The only one who fits that description is Shinobu-chan. She may be in danger. I’ve already ordered her ANBU protectors to be on high alert. As one of her guardians, I want you present to listen to this meeting, just in case.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” I answered immediately, thoughts racing. If Shinobu truly did come from a Kumo clan...not to mention that she held the Nibi, the tailed beast meant to belong to Kumo...depending on how this meeting went, we could have a war on our hands. The Hokage interrupted my thoughts with an order.

“Hide yourself for now.” I bowed, and retreated to a place in the rafters of the office. I chose an empty spot behind the Hokage. As soon as I was in place, I used the highest camouflage jutsu I knew, one I had learned years ago, not long after I became chunin and was recruited into ANBU. While absolutely brutal and not for the faint of heart (or body), ANBU training had its advantages. After a few minutes, a knock sounded on the door, but before Hiruzen-sama could even speak the words "enter" the Third Raikage walked in, scowling. Once again, privacy seals snapped in place as soon as the door closed.

“Raikage-dono,” the Hokage said evenly.

“Hokage-dono. The genin did well today.”

“They did.” Both men stared down at each other. Finally, the Third Raikage broke the silence.

“Just what is a member of the Yotsuki clan doing here?” The Third Hokage kept his blank expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Most Yotsuki are known to have multicolored eyes. Arata-kun claimed that the girl he fought in the final round had multicolored eyes. That’s not a common trait among any of the Nations, I’ve only ever seen that trait in the Yotsuki clan." Taking a step closer to the Hokage's desk, the Raikage lowered his voice. Rather than soothing, it became even more threatening. "So, I repeat. What is a member of one of Kumo’s noble clans doing here?” Outwardly, he was calm. But there was no mistaking the agitation and anger in his chakra. The Hokage chewed on his pipe, and blew out a ring of smoke.

“She was found as an infant, abandoned in a destroyed village. She was orphaned in the war.”

“She should have been returned to us.”

“Our team had no idea that multicolored eyes were a trait of the Yotsuki clan. They thought that it was better to give her a home than to leave her.” The Third Raikage froze, and stared at the Hokage for a long time. I watched carefully. The agitated chakra slowly became calm. He was still tense, but it was almost like the anger had just disappeared.

“And they didn’t know where she had come from?” He asked, in a more level tone.

“No. The village could have been her home of course, but we have no idea if that truly was the case,” the Hokage explained. "Had we known, we never would have risked taking her, A. We weren't ready for another war." Several more minutes of silence followed before the Raikage sighed and lowered himself into one of the chairs near the desk.

“Alright, Hiruzen. I'm choosing to believe you, in light of the progress we have made towards peace between our villages." His focus changed, then, and he stared off into the distance, as if seeing something, or someone, else in front of him.

"So. She’s made her home well enough here?”

“She has friends and family.”

“The reason for a mask?”

“She’s incredibly shy. Doesn’t always like showing her full face. It’s not due to an injury, I assure you,” the Hokage set down his pipe, letting his hands fall to his lap. The Raikage lapsed into silence for several more minutes.

“I want to hear about things from her, directly. Not to mention, she fought extremely well, and Arata-kun mentioned how much he enjoyed fighting her." He levelled his gaze at Hiruzen-sama. "I’d like to meet her.”

Now it was my turn to freeze. I still didn’t want Shinobu anywhere near Kumo, especially not the Raikage. Putting aside the fact that she ranged from disliking to being downright terrified of strangers, even my little prodigy student had no chance against A-sama, if he tried anything. But in full view of both myself and the Hokage, he wouldn’t be able to do much. And the Hokage would call back his ANBU guards in an instant if he needed to. I had my Hiraishin and could get her away instantly if I had to. If the Raikage tried to hurt her, or take her from us, he wouldn't even be able to twitch in her direction before I took Shinobu to safety.

The Hokage signaled me behind his back, and I disappeared back home. The house was quiet, with Kushina working on seals in the living room and Shinobu likely resting in her bedroom. Taking a moment to compose myself, I looked over Kushina’s shoulder to see her working on the sensory deprivation seals we had created. There was work to do on them yet, but the Chunin Exams had been a good testing ground. The only thing I worried about was if Shinobu, Kakashi, and Chihiro caught wind of our part in the exam and were planning some revenge. Still, Kushina and I were Seal Masters, so surely, we’d be alright.

“Everything okay?” Kushina asked, looking up. I shook my head.

“Be on alert. Shinobu could be in danger.”

“I had wondered. I felt her ANBU team getting in position around the house. I activated all our defense seals, too. What now?”

“I’m taking Shinobu to the Hokage’s office. Just…be alert.” Kushina took my hand in hers, pressing a kiss against it and making me blush. She smirked at me.

“Always, pretty boy.” Rolling my eyes and willing my blush to disappear, I headed to Shinobu’s bedroom and gently knocked on the door.

“Shinobu, are you done meditating? I need you for something.” Shinobu emerged, looking troubled. Her mask down for once, and her eyes full of concern. I immediately knelt by her side.

“Are you okay?”

_Matatabi…she’s told me about my parents before. But…she never mentioned that I was part of a clan. I…I don’t really…know what to think._

“Are you…mad at Matatabi?” I wondered.

 _I…I’m not happy that she didn’t tell me before. But…if this had happened during the exams…_ Shinobu sighed. _I…I can’t change what happened. Matatabi agreed to give me space. It just…needs time to sink in._

“Remember you can talk to either Kushina or I if you need to, not to mention Inoichi. In fact, I think that when this is all over, a session with him would be a good idea.” Shinobu nodded in agreement.

“Now, I am afraid that you were recognized as a clan member by that boy you fought, Arata-kun, and the Raikage was impressed with your skill. He’d like to meet you.” Shinobu froze, then, shakily signed out her next words.

_Do…do I have to go?_

“To meet him, I’m afraid so. But to go anywhere with him, no. If I have anything to say about it, which I do, you won’t have to go anywhere you don't want to.”

_Thank you._

“Let’s go,” I said gently. Shinobu tugged up her mask, and took my hand. One teleport later, we were sitting on a tree branch outside the Hokage’s office. I knocked on the glass and the window opened. Shinobu swallowed nervously, and hopped in after me. Once inside the office, she hid behind me, holding onto one of my hands. Her chakra contracted, and completely disappeared. The Third Raikage stared at her for a few moments, then glanced at the Hokage.

“This is her?”

“It is. Katsuki Shinobu, meet A, the Third Raikage of Kumogakure.” Shinobu didn’t say anything, but squeezed my hand a little tighter. Her hand was trembling. That wasn’t a good sign. I squeezed back, gently.

“Also, meet Namikaze Minato, her sensei and one of her guardians,” The Hokage continued.

“I see.” The Third Raikage studied me as well, then sighed.

“Come closer child. I won’t touch you, or hurt you,” He requested, not ordered, quietly and calmly. Shinobu still hesitated, but finally, after a small nudge from me, walked a few steps closer to the Raikage. Even without him being angry, he still was intimidating.

“I heard from Arata-kun that you have multicolored eyes. May I see?” Shinobu swallowed, but shook her head. The Raikage tilted his head, studying her.

“Are you afraid of me?” Shinobu hesitated before nodding. The Raikage let out a deep chuckle.

“Well, I can’t blame you for that. Foreign Kage, stranger, and I’m pretty big and wild looking, aren’t I?” The Raikage sat on the floor, which did make him look a bit smaller. And his chakra was completely calm, which probably helped.

“Now, Arata-kun, what do you think of him?” Shinobu hesitated again, then reached back to grab my hand and trace characters on my palm. I spoke for her.

“She likes him. He’s kind, open-minded, and clever. His skills in the Chunin Exam were very good.” The Raikage studied her.

“You don’t speak?” Shinobu shook her head, retreating a half step. The Raikage glanced at the Hokage, eyes narrowed.

“Her upbringing here was difficult. She was initially raised in the orphanage, where she was seen as an outsider, despite growing up here. She was bullied, and on some occasions, tortured by the other children. Minato and his girlfriend rescued her from there.” Shinobu retreated again, huddling against my legs. The Raikage leaned forward, eyes blazing with fury, before glancing at Shinobu and forcibly calming himself. When he spoke, his words were tense.

“How did you not know?” Hiruzen-sama smiled sadly, regret and even a small amount of shame clear in his eyes.

“Shinobu-chan was too afraid to tell anyone. She also blamed herself. And with the war going on, I was not paying as much attention to the state of the orphanage and behaviour of the matron as I should have. It is something I deeply regret, my child," he directed the words to Shinobu, and I could see her surprise at the apology. A moment later, she directed a small smile towards the Hokage and gave a little nod.

A watched the moment occur, and I could see some of the anger leave him.

“But surely those other kids she knew what they were doing was wrong.”

“Yes, but she still blamed herself, how she looked, because that’s what the other children went after her for. Again, Raikage-dono, it was not known she came from the Yotsuki clan until today,” The Raikage sighed.

“Ah. I think I see why you wear a mask over your eyes, child. You noticed Arata-kun had different colored eyes?” Shinobu nodded. “That’s the mark of a Yotsuki. Almost all of them have different colored eyes. Most of them are also pretty open-minded, and kind, like Arata-kun. They’re also extremely loyal to whoever is precious to them. I think you saw that in Arata-kun, as well.” Shinobu nodded, a bit more confidently. I quickly signed a question to her, and she considered, before replying.

 _Arata-kun and I protected each other in the Forest, and during the third stage, he kept his voice down. He knew our conversation didn’t need to be heard by everyone._ I relayed the information she had told me and explained my curiosity.

“Just confirming. Shinobu was a bit shaken when she first saw Arata-kun’s eyes.”

“Especially since you were seen as an outsider for them, and he wasn’t. I can understand that. So, I see you communicate with sign language.” Shinobu hesitated for a few moments, then, slowly, so slowly, put a hand on the Raikage’s knee. When he didn’t move, she traced a couple characters. The Raikage grinned. “Ah, that would work too. Do you trust me enough now, and have enough knowledge of my intentions that you’d let me see your eyes? You’re not an outsider in my view.” Shinobu considered for long minutes. Finally, she pulled down her mask, her hands trembling slightly. The Raikage studied her, and let out a long sigh.

“The clearest blue, and the clearest green. It’s…been a while, since I’ve seen eyes that exact shade.” Shinobu’s trembles eased a bit, with the Raikage’s calm assessment. She traced a few more characters on the Raikage’s knee, and he nodded absently.

“Yes, the Yotsuki are very well regarded in Kumo. They’re one of two noble clans, and were founding members of our village. I wish you hadn’t had to go through what you did here.” Shinobu backed up a step warily, as the Raikage’s chakra stirred. He blinked in surprise.

“Sensor, are you? I’m not angry at you.” Shinobu blinked, and relaxed slightly again. She traced more characters, and the Raikage let out a long sigh.

“I’d like to have the Yotsuki all in one place. Protecting my people, not unlike here, I’m sure.” Shinobu glanced briefly at the Hokage, and he nodded, eyes twinkling.

“We are rather protective of long standing families. Can you imagine if some of the Nara lived scattered around the world?” Shinobu hesitated, then flew rapid hand signs.

 _Wouldn’t that just be like a really, really long term mission?_ The Hokage chewed his pipe, then, blinked, and started chuckling. Those chuckles only took moments to turn into roars of laughter. I could even feel Shinobu’s ANBU guards’ chakra flickering slightly in mirth. I smiled. My clever student, she was quite right.

“Shinobu asked if the scattering of certain shinobi was really a problem. She considered it like a long term mission,” I explained to the very confused Raikage. He chuckled.

“She’s not wrong.” Finally, a comfortable silence fell, during which the Raikage continued looking at Shinobu.

“I want to hear it from you. Even if you’ve had a hard time before, are you happy here?” Shinobu nodded and clutched my hand close. “I understand, then. But…I’d like it if we could arrange visits. I think you’d like getting to know your clan, and I know they would like to know you. Also, I’d like you to meet my sons. One of them, B, understands what it’s like to be an outcast. He…” The Raikage broke off, staring at Shinobu. Suddenly, his chakra roared to life, anger coursing. Shinobu disappeared, only to reappear on my back, holding onto me tightly. Shinobu’s ANBU tensed, and the Hokage stood.

“Those markings on her face. I know where I’ve seen them before! They’re on the Nibi. Did you steal our jinchuriki?”

“I told you before, we—”

“Yes, but I haven’t heard from Takeo in some time. I know those marks can appear if a jinchūriki has children. So just where is our jinchūriki? Did you kill him, his wife, and take his daughter?” The Raikage demanded furiously. The Hokage opened his mouth to reply, but I signed a quick signal. Shinobu had started tracing characters on my shoulder, moving faster and faster. The Hokage nodded.

“Raikage-sama, Shinobu, or rather, Matatabi-san, the Nibi, would like to assure you that Konoha did not steal your jinchūriki. The Hokage has been telling the truth. Yotsuki Takeo and Yotsuki Aiya gave their lives to protect their daughter,” I said evenly, translating. The Hokage’s jaw dropped, his pipe dropping into his lap.

“What? You…you speak with the Nibi?” The Raikage whispered, his own eyes wide in disbelief. Shinobu gave a cautious nod.

“Matatabi-san was her first friend,” I explained quietly.

“I…” The Raikage collapsed into a chair, letting his head fall into his hands. The Hokage slowly sat down, and Shinobu’s guards relaxed slightly. The minutes ticked by slowly, no one really moving.

“Takeo, and Aiya are dead? You’re the current jinchuriki for the Nibi?” The Raikage asked in a low voice. Shinobu nodded cautiously.

“And you can control it?” “

She doesn’t control Matatabi-san. Or vice-versa. They are partners,” I corrected. The Raikage frowned.

“But…I thought the Tailed Beasts couldn’t think! That they only caused destruction! Kami knows I’ve had to stop enough rampages for that!”

“If you were trapped constantly, with people only wanting your power, you’d probably do the same thing,” I retorted, having had this discussion with both Kushina and Shinobu before. Shinobu’s eyes went wide as she recognized her own words, and she flinched before burying her head in my shoulder. Silence filled the room, before low chuckles started. I glanced at the Raikage to see him slowly shaking his head.

“So, Shinobu-chan. You’re an extremely talented kunoichi, a friend to a Tailed Beast, and have the courage to sass a Kage. That’s all pretty remarkable, especially for a six year old.” Shinobu’s head shot up, and she stared at the Raikage. He gave her a wry smile. “And Tailed Beasts have more emotions than just anger. B will be happy to know that. I think you’d get along.”

“You’re not angry anymore?” I asked, for Shinobu. The Raikage continued to study Shinobu, but shook his head.

“No…no, I don’t think so. You’ve all given me a lot to think about. Hokage-dono, could we perhaps talk in private? I believe there are multiple things to hash out.”

“Certainly, Raikage-dono. Minato, Shinobu-chan, you’re dismissed for now.” Inwardly relieved, I bowed and said, “Thank you, Hokage-sama, Raikage-sama.” We swiftly left out the window, and I took Shinobu up to the roof. She collapsed into my arms, not shaking, but she seemed exhausted.

“You okay? It’s been a long day,” I asked. Shinobu nodded. “Go ahead and sleep. We’ll stay outside for a while.” Once Shinobu had fallen asleep, I did make a quick jump home, and quietly asked Kushina to pack some blankets and food. Once at a training ground, with Shinobu sleeping quietly in my arms, and a privacy seal activated, I explained what had happened.

Kushina was silent for a long time, before muttering, “The Raikage’s a lot more reasonable than I expected.” I wasn't surprised to hear some bitterness in her tone, and drew her close to me.

“It surprised me too. And the team mentioned that the Kumo genin were all decent people.”

“I’m still not forgiving them for kidnapping me a few years ago. But…if there’s some sort of peace, and Shinobu stays safe, then…maybe I can try.” I kissed Kushina soundly, and the rest of the day, thankfully, passed peacefully. The next morning, all the prospective chunin gathered in front of the administration center with their sensei. Chihiro, had been allowed to attend, provided she didn't move much. She still had plenty of bandages, grinned in excitement. Kakashi’s chakra was bouncing, and Shinobu was more relaxed than she had been the previous day. The Hokage and Raikage appeared on the front steps of the Hokage tower.

“Well done, to all chunin hopefuls. It is no small accomplishment to survive a Chunin Exam, and all of you have made your village and your Kage proud. Even if you don’t get the promotion, you can always try again. Now, the new chunin for Konoha are…Naminashi Raido, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Chihiro, and Katsuki Shinobu!” My three genin all gasped then cheered with the rest of the crowd.

“We all made it?” Kakashi asked.

“We’re chunin!” Chihiro threw her arms around her teamates, and they allowed it, just as excited and proud as she was.

“And the new chunin for Kumo are Yotsuki Arata and Ren Kei! Well done.” The new Kumo genin looked surprised, but pleased.

“Congratulations to all new chunin.” The Hokage finished. Everyone slowly wandered off, Kakashi got scooped up from an elated Sakumo and Tsume, Chihiro dragged her parents off, and Shinobu jumped up into Kushina’s arms, who gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“We’re so proud!” Shinobu smiled, then glanced over her shoulder. One of the new Kumo chunin, Arata, looked up, blinking at Shinobu with one brown eye, and one blue eye.

“Hello. The Raikage and Hokage would like to see you all. And Shinobu-chan, congratulations for passing! Though…could we talk? We’ll be leaving tomorrow.” Shinobu leaned down, and traced characters on Arata’s shoulder. His face lit up.

“Great! Thanks!” I smiled. I could see why Shinobu liked him, his energetic and friendly demeanor almost reminded me of her friend, Obito. Kushina, Shinobu, and I headed up to the Hokage’s office. The Raikage was there, and once we stepped inside, the privacy seals went up, and only Shinobu’s ANBU were left. The Raikage glanced at Kushina, then did a slight double take.

“Uzumaki-san. I…apologize, for what happened to you.” Kushina’s jaw dropped. “Kumo will never stop working to get stronger. But…stealing other shinobi may not be the best way to do that. I understand now, that alliances might be better.”

Clearly taken aback, Kushina clutched Shinobu close to her, then let out a deep breath and relaxed. “Thank you.”

“And, of interest to you, Kumo never participated in the destruction of Uzushio. We never wanted the Uzumaki destroyed. In fact, I quite admired your people's strength, and have always been disappointed that I could not spar with one of your many Seal Masters.” At this, Kushina froze, and I could feel her chakra roil in anger and the neverending grief she always felt whenever her destroyed home was brought up. I laid a hand on her back, and let a strand of my chakra tangle with hers comfortingly. It seemed to shake her out of her turmoil, and the rest of her tension from being in the same room as the man who had ordered her abduction years ago left her body.

“That…that does mean a lot. Thank you, Raikage-sama,” Kushina said. She still had a bit of an awestruck yet wary look on her face, but that was to be expected.

“Now, onto other matters. Shinobu-chan, I’d like to offer you a chance to regularly visit Kumo. Also, there’s an area that might be able to offer you training with the Nibi. Since you’re already friends, the training might help you get more in sync,” The Raikage continued.

“She hasn’t started working with Tailed Beast chakra yet,” I said.

“Then I believe we can work on that.”

“I’d still caution you to be careful, Shinobu-chan. Tailed Beasts are dangerous.” Shinobu sighed at the Hokage's warning, and his mouth twitched in slight amusement. “If you decide to visit Kumo, the Raikage has promised that you’ll be under his protection. He has also agreed that you will have a jonin escort. Tensions are still a bit high, so this is more for everyone’s safety. The plan is that you visit every month, stay for a week, then return home.”

“You’d be staying in the Yotsuki compound during your stay as well.”

“Who would be going with her?” I asked.

“If she chooses to go, that’s already been decided,” the Hokage stated evenly. Shinobu stayed still in Kushina’s arms for a long time, thinking. Finally, she nodded, and Kushina spoke for her.

“She’d like to visit.”

“Then, I look forward to welcoming you to Kumo in about a month. I’ve already informed Arata-kun that you’re a Yotsuki, so if he didn’t ask to talk you already, I’m sure he will soon.” The two Kages looked at each other, exchanged nods, then turned back to us.

“I think that’s all. You may go.”

“Nervous?” Kushina asked as we headed out. Shinobu hesitated.

_A bit. But…when he’s not angry, I…I think I like the Raikage._

“He’s more level headed than I expected, that’s for sure. And he seems pretty good with younger people,” Kushina agreed, still a little in shock at what the Raikage had said to her. I smiled at my two favorite ladies, pressing a kiss to Shinobu's head and one to Kushina's cheek. Kushina blushed, Shinobu smiled, met Kushina's gaze, then both of them burst into giggles.

“Let’s celebrate today. I’m pretty sure everyone’s getting promotion gifts for you, Chihiro, and Kakashi. After that, I want to set up more training sessions. You’ll be going on more dangerous missions soon. I want you to get as prepared as you can get.” I promised. Shinobu smiled.

 _Thank you Sensei._ With that, we stepped out into the market, to enjoy the rest of the day.


	18. Chapter 17: Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinobu meets a lot of new people. And....strangely, it's ok.

Shinobu Katsuki 

“Shinobu, breakfast! And I packed some of your favorite treats into storage scrolls for your mission!” Kushina called. I emerged from my bedroom, with the rest of my mission gear, and sat at the table. Sensei wasn’t home, instead being on a mission with Chihiro and Kakashi.

_Thank you._

“Still nervous?” Kushina asked, joining me with a cup of tea. Fidgeting, I nodded. “Well, I think you’ll be alright. You’re going to be meeting your escort at the main gate, right?”

 _At eight,_ I admitted. Kushina checked the clock. Considering I had gotten up to enjoy the sunrise, it was only around six or so.

“Well then, we have a bit of time. Want a quick fuinjutsu lesson? There’s this barrier design I think you’ll like.” I nodded, and smiled. We washed dishes first, but then got out our sealing supplies. As always, the lesson was fascinating. It seemed Kushina had been experimenting with single and multi-seal variants for barriers, and we got to discuss the pros and cons of all of them. Finally, it was around half an hour before eight. I stood to wash my hands, and Kushina helped me clean up and put things away.

“Be careful. You’ve got all your weapons and scrolls?” I nodded again. Kushina hugged me tightly, and I did the same. Then, she gently pushed me to the door. I waved goodbye, then hurried off to the gate. No one was there, except the gate guards. I stayed away from both them and the gate, finding a fence to balance on. I had a book to read, one on elemental affinities. It happened to include hand signs typically associated with the different affinities, which was useful. I still didn’t quite understand the links between different techniques, their hand signs, and how exactly that shaped chakra, despite having been researching this for months. Though…if something specific was associated with the hand seals themselves…I frowned, and pulled a different book out. This one, was all about hand seals. The names of the seals… I pinched the bridge of my nose. I felt so stupid!

 **You’re not stupid little one. Sometimes it takes a bit to figure things out. So, the hand seals represent the characteristics of the zodiac in your first life. That should make things a bit easier for your notes, and learning other techniques.** Matatabi mused.

 _I know, but it’s still frustrating._ Matatabi laughed, while I pulled out a small sheet of paper and a pencil to make notes. Rat, associated with being quick-witted, and versatile. Ox, having strength and determination. Tiger, being brave, and unpredictable. A hare, was quiet, and elegant. Dragons were confident and intelligent. Snakes, intelligence and wisdom. A horse was active, and energetic. Rams, calm, and gentle. Monkeys were associated with being witty and intelligent. Birds, observant and hard-working. Dogs, loyal and honest. I smiled at that one. Kakashi and Sakumo-sensei certainly represented dogs well. Even if Kakashi could be very blunt. And finally, boars were diligent, and compassionate. I checked through my notes. A lot of the animals were characterized with intelligence, which made sense. And considering that a shinobi had to be smart to use the resources around them, that also made sense. I tapped the pencil on my knee. From the summons I knew about, both the few memories from my previous life, and the ones that I had seen, the characteristics also matched. I might have to ask Sensei, Kushina, and Sakumo-sensei if they'd let me talk with their summons, brainstorm a little. 

**What about Inton and Yōton? Would there be a similar correlation?** I thought about it for a minute, then nodded. Yes, there probably was. Yet before I could start jotting notes down about that, I sensed familiar chakra signatures approaching. I looked up to see two people standing nearby; a Hyuga man, with rain-like chakra, his forehead hidden by his hitai-ate, and a woman with long dark brown hair braided down her back and a katana at her hip. Her chakra felt like rumbling stones. Neither of them were wearing the village uniform, instead choosing outfits that would be durable and provide some protection. Those chakra signatures were familiar, and I knew exactly why.

 **Oh,** Matatabi purred. **Your Hokage is smart. This certainly works**. Both of the jōnin smiled.

“We’re your escorts. I’m Namiashi Yumi, and this is Hyuga Haruto,” introduced the woman. "We will be spending a fair amount of time together, so feel free to use our first names."

 _It’s nice to meet you,_ I signed.

“Likewise. Are you ready to go?” The man said. I nodded, and quickly put my books and notes away. I would continue later. In the meantime, I knew the concepts would stay in my head. We walked out of the gate, then broke into a shinobi run, which would cover large distances quickly. Even so, it would still take a week or so to get into the Land of Lightning. That night, after we set up camp, Yumi turned to me curiously.

“So Shinobu-chan, what were you reading?” I pulled the book out of my pack, and showed it to her. “A book on hand seals? How come?”

 _I’m trying to figure things out._ I did trust Haruto and Yumi, but this was my project, and only Chihiro knew about it. I wanted things to stay that way for now. Haruto piped up.

“Are you having trouble with the techniques you’ve been learning?”

 _Not exactly. But I’d like to be able to do Suiton: Suiryūdan with fewer hand seals,_ I admitted.

“That would be nice. Suiryūdan is a great tool for overwhelming opponents, but the time involved to make them leaves you open,” Haruto conceded.

“Well, good luck on that. Would you be willing to take the first watch?” Yumi asked. I nodded, and quickly hopped up to a large tree branch. The next several days were more of the same; traveling quickly, resting occasionally. We didn't talk much, which was fine by me. It allowed me to continue my research into hand seals, with both jōnin observing me reading and taking notes with amusement. Occasionally, they'd chip in and add suggestions to how I could shorten certain jutsu, and I made notes of each idea that could work.

Finally, we made it into the Land of Lightning. It was strange to look at the rocky, mountainous landscape and know that it was once my home. It was also a lot colder than the Land of Fire, even in summer. I quickly began missing the trees of Konoha as all the rocks began to blend together. Soon enough though, the monotonous surroundings were interrupted by civilization, as we reached Kumogakure. We were stopped at the gate, and the gate guards were studying all of us suspiciously.

“Names, origin, and business.”

“Jōnin Namiashi Yumi, Jōnin Hyuga Haruto, and chunin Katsuki Shinobu of Konohagakure. We’re supposed to be meeting with the Raikage,” Yumi replied crisply. The gate guards seemed a little surprised, especially by the presence of Haruto, but the reaction was quickly gone.

“You’ll be escorted and watched. Don’t make trouble.” We waited for just a few minutes before our escort arrived, who turned out to be Arata-kun. A familiar face was nice. He smiled when he saw me.

“Hello. Follow me!” We followed at street level up to the tallest building. Kumo had been built into the surrounding mountains, so I saw lots of supports, skywalks, balconies, and the buildings themselves were sort of cone shaped, almost mimicking the peaks and spires around them. There weren’t as many people here as in Konoha, but they all had clothes in bright, jewel-like colors that stood out against the mountains. That was pretty. We arrived at the Raikage’s office, got nodded through by his secretary, and stepped into the office itself. The entire back wall was just windows, and there was exercise equipment in one corner. The Raikage sat at an enormous desk, partially filled with paperwork. He looked up when we entered.

“Good, you're here. Arata-kun, you can stay. Welcome to Kumogakure.” Yumi, Haruto, and I all bowed.

“Thank you, Raikage-sama. We are Shinobu-chan’s escorts.” Yumi said. The Raikage nodded.

“I’m not surprised the Hokage sent you along. I hope you enjoy your stay. Shinobu-chan, your clan is looking forward to meeting you very much. If you feel comfortable, allow your eyes to be seen. You’ll get respect as a Yotsuki clan member.” I considered. I wouldn’t be seen as an outsider here…so maybe it wouldn’t be bad. I could always pull it back up…and everyone in the room had already seen my eyes. Taking a large breath, I tugged my mask down so it lay around my neck like my hitai-ate. Arata-kun, clearly seeing my eyes for longer than a split second, grinned.

“I want you to meet my family, and the clan during this visit, but I won’t push you. It’s a little strange for everyone, so we’ll take it slow. Arata-kun, go ahead and show Shinobu-chan and her escorts to the Yotsuki compound. Enjoy,” the Raikage finished, dismissing us. Arata-kun grinned, and led us back out of the building.

“Are your parents the clan head?” Haruto asked Arata-kun, who shook his head.

“No, my oba's the clan head.” Another minute, and we landed on a large balcony. Further in were a cluster of houses. Seeing that the balcony seemed to be in a ring around all the houses, and a symbol on the pavement, we were probably in the clan compound. Arata-kun led us to the largest house, stepping inside and removing his sandals. We followed suit, then followed him to a door. I could feel another chakra signature behind it, feeling like spiking energy.

“Here we are. Asami-oba, may we come in?”

“Of course, Arata.” The woman seated at the desk inside had lighter brown hair, and was slim in build. She had one blue eye and one green eye, though her green eye was more of a yellow-green. The blue was about the same shade as mine. She smiled at all of us.

“Welcome. I’m Yotsuki Asami, head of the Yotsuki clan. Raikage-sama told me that I’d be able to add a new member to our records.” I bowed. Then, I glanced at Arata-kun, who snapped his fingers in remembrance.

“Oh, right. Asami-oba, Shinobu-chan doesn’t speak out loud. She does know Konoha sign language, but that’s different from ours. Do you mind if she writes notes, or traces characters on your hand?”

“Of course not. But…excuse me, I haven’t heard of a shinobi being mute before.”

“Shinobu-chan told me she went through a really bad experience. She hasn’t felt comfortable speaking since,” Arata-kun explained. Asami-sama’s eyes widened.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Would you like a hug?” I considered, then, with a small smile, shook my head.

 _Thank you for the offer. I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that yet,_ I traced on her outstretched palm.

“That’s fine. So, Shinobu is your name. That’s actually very funny, considering our clan is a shinobi clan. Then again, Takeo and Aiya had quite the sense of humor. We’ve missed them. The clan was devastated to hear that they died, although we're also happy you survived.” Asami-sama reached behind herself, pulling out a large tome. She indicated for us to sit.

“When was the last time you heard from them?” Arata-kun asked curiously.

“Oh, nearly six years ago. You know, Arata-kun, that Takeo was the younger brother of your father and I. You also know that he lived in a smaller village, closer to the border with the Land of Frost. Takeo sent a letter to us, saying that his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. They were so happy and proud. But the war was also getting worse around that time, so we didn’t worry when we didn’t get another letter, as many messenger and merchant groups were delayed or attacked. But after a few years, we feared the worst; that he, Aiya, and their daughter had been killed. Shinobu-chan, I am so sorry we didn’t look for you or your parents. I’m sorry we assumed the worst.” Asami-sama addressed me quietly as she flipped through pages. I saw a family tree, and she made notations around one end, before flipping to a different page and starting to write.

 _I don’t blame you. I’ve heard the war was very bloody. You didn’t know._ I reassured her.

“I do appreciate that.”

 _Can you tell me more about my parents?_ I asked tentatively. Asami-sama nodded and smiled warmly.

“Of course. Takeo was a fierce shinobi, and good at getting into both arguments and trouble. But he was also incredibly kind, and curious about everything. You have his eyes. Aiya was more reserved, and had a bit of a diplomatic touch. She was an excellent kuniochi, particularly good at throwing senbon. Very, very precise. You have her hair."

“Asami-oba, will they be staying here, in the compound?” asked Arata-kun.

“Yes, they will. There's a guest house that you can stay at, just a block from here.”

“We sort of have mini units within the clan. My parent’s household and Asami-oba’s household are within that unit, and you are too. Or, I hope you will be.”

“Give it time and patience, Arata-kun." Asami-sama told him, before turning to us. "I hope you’ll join us for dinner.” Yumi and Haruto exchanged a brief look, then nodded.

“Thank you for the invitation,” Yumi said. Arata-kun bounced in place excitedly, and turned to me.

“Want to explore?” I nodded. It would be nice to see more of the village. Arata-kun grinned, and after a wave to Asami-sama, led us to the guest house to drop off our packs. Then he showed us around the compound and the streets immediately surrounding it. He sort of led me around more than Yumi and Haruto. They trailed after us, keeping the distance short. I didn't mind; despite my trust in Arata-kun, it was comforting to have two jōnin from Konoha keeping watch over me. In the late afternoon, Arata-kun stopped at the main balcony surrounding the Yotsuki compound.

“So how do you like Kumo so far?” He asked, leaning on the railing.

 _It’s different. Lots of windows, but I like it. I think the Nara clan would like it here. They like cloud watching._ Arata-kun laughed.

“And they get away with it all day?”

_They try to. Though, a friend I made, Tatsu-chan, likes sunrises better. I like sunrises too. What are they like here?_

“I don't know. I’m guessing they are really bright, but I’ve never woken up in time for one. My team hates that I’m a heavy sleeper,” Arata-kun admitted. I hid a smile. That…might be something I’d have to change. Maybe later in the week, or on a future visit. “Personally, I really like all the balconies. They’re great for hanging out, or training. And they're just as useful for moving through the village as the roofs are.” I nodded in agreement. We had traveled a lot of roofs throughout the day, which of course was very familiar to me. But the skywalks and balconies were a new experience, and also a lot of fun. I stiffened a bit as I sensed two...no, three unknown chakra signatures coming our way. Yumi and Haruto almost instantly appeared at my side. Arata-kun grinned and waved.

“Ka-san, tou-san!” I turned to see Arata-kun’s parents, along with a girl about my age. The girl raced towards Arata-kun, and he scooped her up.

“What about me?"

“Sorry imouto! I’m glad to see you too! Shinobu-chan, this is my ka-san, Suzu, my tou-san, Takumi, and my imouto, Seijun.” I bowed politely. Seijun-chan had the same eyes that Arata-kun did, while Suzu-san had a brown and green eye, and Takumi-san had a blue and gray eye. Takumi-san studied me, frowning a little. Then, he smiled.

“I can’t believe how much you look like Takeo.”

“No, not completely. You have Aiya’s lighter hair color, and her face,” Suzu-san disagreed. Takumi-san shook his head. I mustered up the courage to ask them a question, tracing it on Arata-kun's hand so he could say it aloud.

"Did you know them well?"

“Takeo, as annoying as he could be, was actually very private. After he and Aiya left, we got letters, but that's about it. I’ve missed him, and Aiya.”

“It’s wonderful to know you survived. Are you coming to dinner?” Suzu-san asked.

“We are,” Yumi answered. Together, we headed back to Asami-sama’s house. I could smell something good in the kitchen, and sense two more signatures.

“Yasu-oji! You're back!" Seijun-chan cheered happily, running to greet a man with brown hair back in a bandana. He smiled, shifting the toddler in his arms to one side so he could scoop up Seijun-chan.

"I promised I would be, didn't I?”

“Hey Naoki-kun. Still sleepy!” Arata-kun teased the toddler, gently poking the little boy on the nose. Naoki-kun just blinked.

“You must be Shinobu-chan. Asami told me what happened this morning. I’m glad you’re here, and can meet your clan,” Yasu-san greeted me warmly. I bowed again. I thought about things as we ventured into the dining room. I had only met a few members of the Yotsuki clan so far, but they were so…welcoming. And kind. They didn’t really seem to care that we came from Konoha, and while most of their attention had been on me, they were still being polite to Yumi and Haruto. And the attention, while overwhelming…wasn’t exactly stifling. It sort of felt like dinner parties at home. And…I hadn’t really known what to expect. I had sort of been taught to be wary of Kumo for the past several months, and my bits of memory of this world from my past life weren’t always that kind towards Kumo either. In many ways, this trip was going to leave me with a lot to think about. Everyone sat down, dishes were passed, and conversation ensued.

“It really is nice to meet all of you. Though I’m still confused on why exactly Shinobu-chan needed an escort, especially since she's a chunin,” Takumi-san said, looking towards Yumi.

“We didn’t want to take any risks. Things are still occasionally tense between Kumo and Konoha,” she explained.

“Makes sense,” Suzu-san mused. Takumi-san still eyed Yumi-san a little doubtfully.

“This wouldn't have to do with Takeo having been a jinchūriki?” Yumi and Haruto glanced at each other.

“It's common knowledge who the jinchūriki are around Kumo. The holder of the Hachibi is B, one of the Raikage's sons. Takeo was the holder of the Nibi, but since he died, most people have been waiting for the Nibi to reform,” Yasu-san explained, passing a rice bowl to Asami-sama.

“How are jinchūriki treated around here?” Haruto asked.

"Civilians and many shinobi, don't treat them well. B gets food thrown at him often, not to mention insulted, but nothing really seems to faze him. The rest treat him cautiously. There's a history of the jinchūriki losing control, and the Tailed Beasts getting loose. But it's been more than six years since that last happened,” Asami-sama explained.

“And you, personally?" Yumi asked.

“The others in the clan are wary, to some extent. But the people at this table are alright. There is always a danger to being a jinchūriki, and it shouldn’t be blamed on the person. Besides, the Yotsuki clan has often been honored by the Raikage, because our members are usually able to keep the Nibi contained for longer periods of time.” I considered. Did I really want to admit right away that I was a jinchūriki?

**Hmm. You don’t have to immediately. But they seem like decent people, and if they’ve been waiting for me to reform, it’s probably taking longer than they expected. Perhaps before the week is done? It would be something to check with the Raikage about.**

“Shinobu-chan, is something wrong?” Arata-kun asked. I shook my head. Asami-sama smiled suddenly.

“Ah, I think I understand a little better now. Shinobu-chan, would you happen to be the new jinchūriki for the Nibi?” My eyes widened, but I took a breath. With Yumi translating, I signed out my question.

 _How did you know?_ Asami-sama smiled wistfully.

“Takeo sometimes got that same glazed look in his eyes when he talked with the Nibi. And he and Aiya knew enough about the Iron Armour Seal to potentially transfer it to someone else.”

“Knowing my otouto, he and Aiya, if they thought there was no escape for them, they would have tried everything they could to make sure their daughter survived,” Takumi-san added. I looked down, tears brimming. It truly was sinking in, hearing all the stories, just how much my parents had sacrificed to keep me safe.

“Shinobu-chan? What’s wrong?” Arata-kun asked. Seijun-chan tugged on my sleeve.

“Don’t cry nee-san.” I jolted a little bit, that Seijun-chan had just accepted me so completely already. And…the rest too, even if they hadn’t voiced it that way yet.

_I…I just…is it strange to miss people I’ve never known?_

“Oh, Shinobu-chan. I don’t think so,” Yasu-san said gently.

“They’re your parents. Even if you’ve found family in Konoha, it’s okay to miss them,” Suzu-san added. A few minutes of silence fell before anyone else spoke.

“Do you…have you done alright so far at controlling the Nibi? We have advice, that we might be able to help,” Takumi-san offered. I smiled slightly.

_Thank you, but Matatabi and I are friends and partners. I hope to learn to use her abilities._

“Takeo never got that far!” Takumi-san said slightly indignantly, before grinning wildly.

“He hoped, but I don’t think he ever succeeded. Well done!” Asami-sama told me proudly. I smiled shyly.

“We really need to get you started on Kumo sign language. It’ll make things easier. I can start with you tomorrow,” Yasu-san promised. We talked about a few more things, but not too long after, Yumi, Haruto and I headed to the guest house. We trapped all entrances extensively. We would take the traps down when we left. The next day, after a sign language lesson from Yasu-san, Arata-kun took me around the compound a little more extensively, so that I knew my way around. We also explored more streets, further away from the clan compound. We had dinner that evening again with the family unit. Yumi, Haruto, and I got asked a few questions about Konoha, nothing too probing, so we mostly were able to answer honestly. The next morning, Arata-kun pulled me out of the compound.

“I want to take you around the rest of Kumo today. Come on!” We ran around balconies for a while, and then on one landing, Arata-kun stumbled into another shinobi. He looked around Sensei’s age, maybe a bit older. Arata-kun stumbled back, then his eyes widened.

“Oh, sorry A-sama!”

“Arata-kun, I wonder sometimes how you made chunin. Father said B and I were supposed to meet someone in your compound. B’s late, again,” A-sama grumbled.

“Shinobu-chan,” Arata said, gesturing to me. I bowed. A-sama studied me.

“Why is she…oh. Father told us about you. Come on.”

Arata-kun glanced at me hesitantly. “Um, I was going to show her around the village."

"And you can do that later. Father wanted her to talk with B, and if it’s going to be what I think it is, you won’t be able to come anyway. I’m not going to hurt her.” Arata-kun looked at me, and I nodded.

“I’ll meet you back at the compound tonight then.” With that, he darted away. A-sama made an impatient gesture to me to follow him, and I did. Yumi and Haruto followed me, a bit more closely than before. A-sama slowed down, then stopped on a balcony where another boy was standing.

“B, where have you been?” A-sama demanded.

“Sorry A, but you know how much I like the streets! The people are getting better, so many to meet!” B-sama, the jinchūriki of the Hachibi, wasn’t exactly what I had expected. White-blond fluffy hair, sunglasses, and…oh right. He liked to rap.

“Father wanted you to meet someone other than civilians, remember? And you were supposed to come with me?” A-sama growled. His brother shrugged, still smiling.

“Right, right. Hi! I’m B, one of the Raikage’s sons, full of might. This is A, my older brother. Bit of a bother.”

“You little brat!” A-sama snapped, throwing a punch. B-sama dodged out of the way with the ease of long practice.

“Anyway, Father said to show you to a training ground, and that I could learn a lot from you. Come on, I hope you can learn too!” A-sama grumbled more, but gestured for me to go ahead with his younger brother. He disappeared in the direction of the Raikage’s tower, judging by the angrily sparking chakra. I followed B-sama’s happier lightening chakra outside of the village itself, and to…I wasn’t sure completely what it was. The clouds had parted to reveal a thin pathway to a large, green hill. B-sama stepped onto the pathway without any hesitation, but did stop as I hesitated. Behind me, Yumi and Haruto both studied the pathway warily, and glancing behind, Haruto even had his Byakugan activated. I couldn’t really guess what all he was seeing.

“Where are we?” Yumi asked.

“The Island Turtle, Genbu. It’s a special training ground for jinchūriki. I’ve been training here for years, but progress is tricky. The Hachibi and I talk, but he thinks I’m a disgrace. Anyways, Father wanted me to show you this place. He said you were the jinchūriki for the Nibi, but could control her trends? That you’re friends?”

 **This boy can get very creative with his word choice. My trends, hmph.** Matatabi snorted. I nodded. B-sama looked very impressed.

“I want to learn how you did that!" With that, he led the way onto the island. I sensed many, many chakra signatures. It…almost felt like the Forest of Death. Didn’t smell quite as deadly though. B-sama led us on a path to a temple-like structure. Inside, it almost felt like a cave, but there were murals of Matatabi and the Hachibi. I trailed my fingers along the edge of Matatabi’s mural. It was beautiful, and mysterious. The image of the Hachibi was just as magnificent, and ancient. These murals were incredibly old.

“So really, how are you friends with the Nibi?” B-sama asked.

 _I’m hated by many in Konoha. Matatabi helped me be less lonely. I'm kind to her, so we work together. I haven't started learning her powers yet,_ I explained, tracing on his shoulder.

“So…I need to try to make friends with the Hachibi?"

 _It would be polite to ask for his name,_ I suggested. B-sama nodded, and pointed to a waterfall coming from the ceiling. There was a platform towards the base.

“Okay. But we need to go to the Falls of Truth, hey. We sit there, and we go inside our minds.” I glanced at Yumi and Haruto, and they stayed below the platform, while I followed B-sama again. I did see Haruto activate his Byakugan to watch though. We both sat in different meditation poses, B-sama in lotus, me, in seiza. It didn’t take much to get into my own mindscape, but I had to concentrate to go further down, to the area where Matatabi talked with Kurama. Matatabi guided me, and I ended up sitting on her head. It was a large, empty landscape, lit by a slightly golden glow. At the moment, the Hachibi wasn’t here. B-sama, however, was, and stared up at Matatabi in amazement. She was laying down, but she was still big.

“Wow! You’re pretty!”

 **“Thank you. Now, where is my brother? It’s not like him to sulk,”** Matatabi asked, her tails waving in the air behind her. B concentrated, and the space behind him suddenly filled with the Hachibi. He was honestly a cross between an octopus and a bull, or maybe an ox.

 **“Matatabi. I finally see you,”** He grumbled, his voice very deep. Matatabi sighed.

**“We could have communicated long before this, brother dear.”**

**“Hmph. You have a new host.”** Matatabi's ears twitched, and she tilted her head up. From my seated position, I bowed low to the Hachibi. Since we were inside a mindscape, I imagined characters floating next to me, spelling out what I wanted to say.

 _What is your name? Mine is Shinobu._ The Hachibi snorted.

 **“You really think I'd tell you, pipsqueak? You think that you, as a human, wants to do something else apart from stealing our powers? Matatabi, you've gone soft.”** Matatabi let out a soft growl, her entire body vibrating. The Hachibi snorted again.

 _I know what it's like to be lonely. I don't expect your name, when we just met. But I’d like to be friends,_ I admitted.

**“Hmph. And you boy? What stake could you possibly have in all of this?”**

“Hey, getting along would be nice! I just don't know your price! I treat you like I treat everyone else, so what’s the problem?”

**“You humans keep locking me up!”**

“Yeah. People can be fools, especially when down. But maybe they’d like you more if you stopped tearing up the town?”

**“And just what can you possibly do to convince me of that?”**

“I bet you respect grit. That's it! I challenge you, one on one! I’ve already got respect for you, so if I win, the matter should be done!”

 **“Perhaps.”** The Hachibi grumbled, glaring at B-sama.

 **“Hold on little one. This may get interesting,”** Matatabi said, shifting to a sitting position, tails currently wrapped primly around her paws. I knew that she could move at lightning speed though, so resolved to hang on. I stroked her head in thanks. The Hachibi immediately whipped two of his tails towards B-sama. B-sama jumped out of the way, then continued dodging as the Hachibi continued attacking him. Even on misses, the force of air thrown up was amazing. B-sama did get hits a few times, but withstood the hits well, even full on blocking one. My respect for B-sama’s strength and endurance grew as I watched the fight continue. I knew of jōnin in Konoha who weren’t that strong. This was amazing. B-sama threw several punches, many of them strong enough to knock back the Hachibi Eventually, B-sama smashed the Hachibi’s head into the ground.

“Yeah, how’s that ya fool! I beat you!” Moments later, B-sama sprawled out, and laughed. "You're really tough!" The Hachibi grumbled, but at the same time, Matatabi was laughing, though quietly. That probably meant it was all okay.

**“Not bad boy. You certainly are persistent for a human. What is your name?”**

“B.”

 **“Very well. Mine is Gyūki. You may use my name too, host of Matatabi. You, at least, are polite.”** I blinked, then bowed deeply. I hadn’t expected that decision to come so soon. B-sama’s grin practically split his face in two.

“You can do all sorts of awesome things I bet! I'd love to learn about your threats!”

 **“Little one, I believe you can start learning about my abilities as well. We can start now, or later,”** Matatabi said to me, quietly.

 _What time is it?_ I wondered. B-sama turned to me.

“Lunch time! We’ll break, come back here, because if we didn’t, it would be a crime!” I smiled. We both came out of meditation, bought lunch from a food stand, then went back to the turtle. Behind the waterfall, were training rooms. Yumi and Haruto stayed towards the entrance, but still watched carefully. B-sama almost immediately started working with Gyūki-san’s tails, tentacles sprouting out of him. I kept my distance, and turned my thoughts inward.

“What are your abilities?” Matatabi sat primly, her tails curled around her paws.

 **“Little one, your memories have been getting stronger. What do you remember?"** I thought for a few minutes.

“Only that you have Katon, the Bijūdama, and that your jinchūriki can grow their nails into claws. You can use genjutsu.”

 **“Hmm. Not bad. Those are my more active powers, yes. For simply being my jinchūriki, you have some of the senses and skills of a cat.”** I thought about that one. Given what I knew about cats, with their speed, flexibility, reflexes, silent movement…I already knew that I was better than some of my fellow shinobi in those areas.

“But my senses might not be as good as someone who sort of…specializes?” I guessed.

**“Correct. Your eyesight is not as good as an Uchiha, and your nose is not as good as an Inuzuka. Possible as good as a Hatake. Though your teammate is both Hatake and Inuzuka. But, your senses are better than most. I also have a special ability that practically no one knows about.”**

“Sort of like how Gyūki-san can create ink clones and do other things with ink?”

 **“Exactly. I have a technique called Amber Touch. With it, you can create amber in both it’s liquid and solid forms. Very durable in either case, can be shaped to your liking when it’s liquid, and trap people, or things, when it’s solid.”** My mind raced. That almost sounded like the rubber aspects to Lava Release, which was a gekki kenkei. Except this, sounded much more specific, and diverse.

“Can it absorb attacks and damage?"

**“Yes, it can. So, what would you like to start with?”**

“Katon please. Those are going to be less noticeable as a jinchūriki ability.”

 **“Hmm. Fair enough.”** Matatabi settled herself on the ground then, and proceeded to explain about the most basic Katon.

Throughout the rest of the week, I mostly spent time with Arata-kun, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. But I did train again with B-sama, and even got to watch A-sama and B-sama train for a little bit. They made quite the formidable pair. At the week’s end, Arata-kun, my aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered to say goodbye. Asami-sama was the first to step forward.

“I know it wasn’t long, or much, but we’ll miss you.”

“You’re a good kid, Shinobu-chan.” Takumi-san ruffled my hair.

“Will you come again soon?” Seijun-chan asked, eyes wide. I nodded. Arata-kun escorted myself, Yumi, and Haruto to the Raikage’s office to say goodbye to him as well. To my surprise, B-sama was there too.

“I hear you did well this week. We’ll look forward to your next visit.” I smiled, and bowed, joined by Yumi and Haruto.

“Thank you, Raikage-sama.”

“Hey Shinobu-chan, thanks! You really filled in my blanks!” I waved goodbye as we left. Yumi, Haruto, and I hurried home after that. I sensed both of them relaxing once we got to the walls of Konoha, and I did too. I liked Kumo, and the people I had met, but Konoha was still home.

“We do need to report to the Hokage first,” Yumi spoke once we got through the gate. Haruto sighed happily.

“Then we can all go to bed and actually sleep soundly.” Yumi grinned.

 _Thank you, for this,_ I told them. Both smiled.

“Sure thing, Shinobu-chan. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come with you next time.” The Hokage was pleased with our report, and dismissed us. I waved at Haruto and Yumi, then hurried home. I could sense Kushina inside, though she seemed tired.

“Shinobu!” Kushina hugged me so hard that I was left gasping for air when she set me down. “Minato, Chihiro, and Kakashi are finishing up training for the day. I finished a mission this morning. Now that everyone’s back in the village, we’ll have our dinner party tomorrow. Aki’s turn, and Obito-kun should be there too. And I expect you’ll be training tomorrow. Anything you want right now though?”

 _A shower,_ I admitted. Washing the road dust off and unpacking would be very, very nice. Kushina smiled knowingly.

“Go ahead then. I’ll start getting dinner ready early.” About half an hour later, Sensei appeared in the house, and smiled when he saw me. He hugged me too, but not as tightly as Kushina had.

“Shinobu! Are you alright? How did it go?”

 _I’m fine. I met some nice people. And Matatabi started me on Katon. She can help me learn it more easily, since it’s her nature,_ I said, as we started to eat.

“Well then, training should be fun tomorrow. Get plenty of sleep!” Sensei promised, grinning. I did as I was told, but did get to the training ground earlier to catch up with Kakashi and Chihiro. Sensei turned up soon after, and our day began. Training turned out to be a full on spar with each other, with whatever techniques we had on hand. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted, hungry, singed, bruised, and scraped. Chihiro and I still had enough chakra to help heal some of our minor injuries. It took a bit to get to Chihiro’s house, but both of her parents, Sakumo-sensei, and Obito-kun were there, so the wait was worth it. Dinner was loud, but then, the noise level was fairly close to normal for our dinner parties, and dinner at Asami-sama’s house. I’d honestly gotten used to it, even if I still preferred things to be quieter. All things considered, it really was great to be home.


End file.
